Meetings
by Gemma Inkyboots
Summary: Mmmm...summaries. Oy.
1. Meetings

Okey-dokey. New story! And a long one too, hopefully - let's see if I can do anything longer than my record of seven pages...

...by the way, thanks and cookies to everyone who reviewed all my one-shots before. Huge ego boost and much appreciated - I was on the ceiling for hours afterwards. Mainly because the 'cons got sick of me dancing around in glee and glued me to the ceiling.

Ahem.

By the way, Skins, how about sticking Skyfire into _Seduction_? It'd be interesting to see if the hurt feelings have the same effect as hate...or anything else that might happen. Snigger. I love that story.

Anyway, Starscream's glaring at me, so on with the show!

Meetings.  
  
Skyfire heard the ruckus coming from the inner courtyard and sighed. The newest young mechs to join the Academy had only been here a matter of days, and already there was trouble. Stepping carefully around the scattered chairs, he gave the voice command to open one of the windows facing down into the square - as a flier, he preferred his classrooms to be airy. The larger-than-average windows not only made the room look bigger, though - when opened together they were wide enough for him to fit through. Now he only stuck his head out, just in time to see a knot of figures clustering in a corner of the courtyard being dispersed by another lecturer - Ripplewing by the sound of it, her acidic tone carrying to his audios as the students scattered before her.

"What is all this noise?! Never, in all my time at the Academy, have I heard such a disgraceful row - to think we let in such rabble nowadays! Get to your classes this instant - and as for you...Don't you ever let me see your sorry faceplate round here making such an appalling clamour again! Now shoo!"

Skyfire winced. Ripplewing had a sharp sense of right and wrong - usually with the students in the crosshairs. She never seemed to have any patience with them, and would often launch into shrill rants on the dire delinquencies of that year's chosen few - usually to Skyfire. Sure enough, storming through the corridor not two minutes later, hurling herself into Skyfire's classroom with a righteous, indignant expression enough to send anyone in her path fleeing for cover, Ripplewing bore down on the - much larger - cornered scientist like a battlecruiser.

"Did you see them? Did you hear them?!" She seethed.

"Hello, Ripplewing." Skyfire tried in vain to avoid another debate, not wanting his first class to walk in to slag-slinging from a staff member. To no avail.

"Don't you 'hello' me, Skyfire." The irate tutor fumed. "I swear to Primus, that new flier is bound for the gutter - starting shouting matches under my window! I will not stand for an insolent, cocky knowitall raising merry hell in my Academy - if he crosses the line I'll be on him so fast he..."

A welcome bubble of noise swelled in the corridor outside as Skyfire's pupils started to arrive. Patient as he was, the scientist barely held back a sigh of relief at missing the latest flood of bile on the new scapegoat Ripplewing had singled out. As politely as he could, he interrupted her with a raised palm, saying calmly "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it sounds like my class is here..."

Ripplewing whipped round to glare at the door as if it was to blame for her troubles. "The new group?"

"Yes-"

"Watch out for that snarky flyboy - the red one. You'll know him straight away; screeches, causes trouble, doesn't listen...If he puts a finger out of place, so much as a finger, you let me know."

"I'll do that", Skyfire said diplomatically, opening the door for her as she stormed out and turned a megavolt glare onto a startled mech, who looked bewildered at the open hostility in the lecturer's stare and opened his red optics wide in puzzlement. Ripplewing snorted and stomped down the corridor, the wings of her skimmer transform quivering with righteous outrage and barely missing others in the walkway. Skyfire sighed, calling his attention back to the gaggle of young mechs and femmes standing staring down the passageway at Ripplewing's ramrod back.

Pulling himself together, he stepped half-into the corridor and said, "May I have your attention, please? My name is Skyfire, and I believe you are my new science class." A murmur of confirmation fluttered through the group.

"Excellent. I'm assuming you've all been introduced to each other in your earlier sessions, so you'll only need to tell me your names." He smiled at them reassuringly. "Follow me, and welcome to the Science Academy."  
  
By the end of the class, Skyfire was proved right. As usual, Ripplewing had singled out a totally undeserving target - the red mech she'd pointed out was no more disruptive than any other in the class, excepting maybe the paired 'brothers' who seemed to have an instinctive talent for snobbery. Still, Skyfire was never one to rush into things, including hurried first impressions. He decided to adopt a wait-and-see strategy - wait to know the class better, and repeat "We'll see" when he saw Ripplewing. By the end of the next week, however, he was convinced. The red flier, the insolent cocky knowitall destined for the gutter, was one of the fastest learners Skyfire had taught so far. He seemed to have an uncanny knack for basic scientific procedures, and drank in new knowledge like energon - always ready for anything new or difficult. He did overextend himself at times - pushing boundaries, most noticeably the laws of physics, a little too far on occasion - but Skyfire was delighted at the progress he was making.

Sadly, Ripplewing couldn't find it in herself to sing his praises as Skyfire did. The xenobiology lecturer also had the new group for personal lab sessions, and constantly came down hard on the red 'flyboy' for not working hard enough on his own projects.

"All he does is sit there, or stand in a corner with his optics half-on and stare into space!" She complained to Skyfire a few days later. "Occasionally he'll lower himself to scribble a word or two on a datapad, but then he's mooning around again! It's not good enough, and I'll be surprised if he makes it past the tri-cycle review - he thinks he's too good to work hard, that's his trouble. I've seen it before-"

"Ripplewing," Skyfire interjected, her bile grating even his patience. "If you took the time to-" "Time!" The xenobiologist interrupted. "Time! I don't need time to tell that one'll come to no good. You mark my words - the day will come when we'll see his sorry aft slouch out of our halls permanently-"

"All right, Ripplewing - I've heard enough." Skyfire said flatly. "That mech is my best student, and I'm fed up of your putting him down constantly. I'll take the next lab session you have with that group and we'll see if another view can't shed some light on this."

"Hah! You're biased towards that cocky flyboy and you know it. Very well - if you want to see the other side of your precious Starscream, you're welcome to it. I could do with a reprieve from his inattention and idleness!" With that the skimmer turned on her heel and stalked off, seeming to trail shadows and gloom from her muted grey plating as she headed out. Skyfire sighed, and made a mental note to look up Ripplewing's schedule.  
  
The time assigned for personal lab work was designed to give students a chance to use information and techniques they had learnt in class and apply them in a more relaxed - though still controlled - environment. A lecturer - in this class' case, Ripplewing - was assigned to watch over the projects and give guidance when asked for. The students themselves each had an individual 'booth' to work in, and usually contained a combination of lab equipment, tools, jumbles of datapads and, in one case, a smithy-come- smelter.

One particular student, however, had remarkably little scattered over his worktable. As Skyfire moved quietly around the empty lab awaiting the class, he noticed that the young flier, Starscream, had a small set of engineer's tools, a container of datapads with a case of writing apparatus inside and precious little else on his worktop.

The first few students trickled in. He stepped to the front of the class, carefully allowing them enough room to pass as he did so, and was immediately asked for a set of drone-basic equipment Ripplewing had locked in a side room "for safety's sake."

Sometimes Skyfire wondered why Ripplewing was a teacher.

It took him so long to find the slagging things the rest of the class had arrived and set to work by the time he'd re-emerged. Handing over the tools to the grateful student, he looked over to see Starscream seated at his tabletop, staring into space.

He frowned. Skyfire had been hoping Ripplewing had been exaggerating when she complained, as often happened with her love of bombast and amateur dramatics, but here was the proof. He decided to watch the flier a little longer before reaching a verdict - the last thing he wanted to do was rush into a bad decision. With that in mind, Skyfire set himself to answering the questions and troubles of his class.

Some time later, he regretfully realised he'd have to talk to Starscream. The mech hadn't moved a micron since the start of the period, whereas the rest of the class was still industriously working. Working his way to the back of the class, he noticed that the flier's optics were indeed only halfway online... His curiosity aroused, Skyfire stepped up to the mech's side and quietly said his name.

No reply.

A little startled, he tried again. Still nothing.

He wasn't sure whether the mech was ignoring him deliberately or not, but he tried a third time, with a gentle shake for good measure.

Starscream jumped about three feet in the air. His optics blazed online, head snapping up. "What the-?!" He looked around and saw Skyfire staring at him, bemused and slightly concerned at the flier's reaction.

"Are you all right Starscream? You looked a million miles away." Skyfire probed carefully, hiding his flash of concern at the mech's behaviour.

"I did..? Oh...I'm sorry Professor, I was trying to work out some kinks in my project and I - I suppose I didn't hear you," he said with a twinge of guilt, looking at the lack of materials on his table and mentally comparing them to the others' for the first time.

"Ah."

Skyfire tried to come up with a tactful way of telling him it didn't look like he was working on a project full stop, but before he could say anything Starscream seemed to pick up on his train of thought, saying hurriedly "I know it looks like I'm not doing anything Professor, but I'm not totally sure this will work... If I can get my head round the theory on my own, I think I can get it, but I need to work it through before I can even start designing it." He looked up slyly at the scientist towering above him. "I know Professor Ripplewing thinks I'm not working."

Skyfire tried not to snicker. Starscream was growing on him more by the day. "You won't hesitate to ask if you do need any help..?"

He trailed off, smiling at the relieved expression on the mech's face. "No sir!" Starscream grinned. "Thanks Professor."

"I look forward to seeing this project when you do work it out. Good luck." As Skyfire moved away to another student, his mind at ease, Starscream fell back into his train of thought, streams of numbers, theories and plans flashing through his mind.

Totally unaware of the glares burning into him from the two bots across the room.

"Stupid smug seeker," muttered one. The other looked at him. "They shouldn't let his sort into the Academy," he hissed back. "Seekers are all war machines, Decepticons! He shouldn't be here!"

His brother frowned. "We need to save the Academy from itself. They need to realise he's a walking timebomb - he could do anything."

They looked at each other. "We've put up with him quietly for long enough. He's got to go."

They snapped round in their seats and scowled as a wild whoop split the air. Everyone in the room jumped and turned - to see Starscream scrabble madly for a datapad and start writing as furiously as if Ripplewing was after him.

Skyfire smiled. It seemed he'd found his way round the theory.  
  
Well? First long-term project, and one I began with in mind before I signed on. Let me know what you think, and any suggestions of scrapes for the seeker to get himself into will be gratefully - not to mention eagerly - received. As well as reviews. Don't forget the reviews.


	2. Complications

Yes! Second chapter, after the nastiest bit of 'block I've had for a long time... anyway. Here it is, and thanks muchly to the hordes of...well, those few, those happy few who reviewed the first chapter. Guys and girls, I salute you. here's the next bitty. (Don't worry Skids, no major seeker-bashing here, but be warned for later...)

Complications 

Skyfire and his students soon found out that, once he'd worked his way around a problem to his satisfaction, the 'flyboy' could work like a combiner. In less than a fortnight he had reams of schematics, diagrams and intricate parts laid out on his once-barren worktop, and on the day Starscream was ready to start assembling his final design, Skyfire found an excuse to come into Ripplewing's session and watch.

Standing at the back of the class, trying to be unobtrusive despite his size and the glares Ripplewing sent his way, the scientist tried to work out what the mech was putting together. The exploded diagram had too many delicate arrangements and circuit board relays for him to make a guess at its final purpose, but the outer shell segments Starscream had cast looked rather like an oversized laser scalpel. He couldn't guess any closer without asking the flier himself, but Skyfire was getting an obscure sense of satisfaction from not being able to immediately grasp his pupil's thinking - and the fact that Ripplewing was getting steadily more worked up about the mysterious project made him all the more determined not to ask.

To the scientist's disappointment however, Starscream got no further than assembling what looked like a specialised converter to the base of one of the outer sections - he had deliberated over every connection, taking meticulous care with each join and wire...meaning Skyfire had to contain himself until the next lab session to watch more of the process.

As the scientist waited for the students to leave the classroom, he was surprised to see the two 'brother' mechs turn and give the young flier identical chilling, disdainful glares. Skyfire was even more startled at Starscream's reaction - his faceplate twisted into an ugly snarl as he stared defiantly back, almost unrecognisable as the familiar student Skyfire was rapidly coming to like. His sensors tingled; the scientist shivered slightly and the spell broke, the two mechs sticking their noses in the air and marching off in step as Starscream looked indignantly after. The flier's contented mood from working on his pet project had been smashed into pieces, and the resentful way he crashed the datapads into the holder made it obvious that something was going badly wrong in the Academy.

As the class filed out, Skyfire made his way over to the riled flier. Starscream was making a tremendous din as he shoved his tools into a pile - his angry attitude and quivering wings making it clear the young mech was in no mood for casual conversation. The scientist came up next to him and was moving to rest a hand on the tabletop when Starscream whipped round.

"Get away from me!" he snapped, optics flaring in fury and face contorted. Skyfire stared at him in horror - the flier looked almost feral. For a split second Starscream glared, then his blazing optics widened and dimmed in shock. "Professor?! ... I - I'm sorry, I thought...I thought you were someone else..."

"I see." Skyfire rapidly tried to think of a diplomatic way to get to the bottom of things. Starscream may be meticulous with his work - mostly - but he was too impulsive and dramatic for many people to handle.

Still, the young mech was a scientist, in his lifefuel and frame...but just as important, he was a flier. And Skyfire knew exactly how to calm an emotional flier...

Cybertron had been built upon itself for millennia. The ground levels of buildings commonly used in the present stood upon a base of older structures that, in turn, had been built over other assemblies themselves. All the intertwining ages of building work had lead to structures on Cybertron being, on some levels at least, intricately intertwined - with the occasional exception of soaring multi-level towers gracing the glittering lights that illuminated the pristine walls and arching avenues.

The Science Academy was no exception - at its base it was a single, colossal structure, an enveloping wall wrapped gracefully around itself like a cloak; as it rose from the depths, the column arched into three lofty towers that gazed over its nearest, shorter neighbors like the absent-minded professors they housed.

It was these three towers that housed the more sophisticated laboratories and workrooms, those open only to the professors and their colleagues from all over Cybertron. The greatest scientific minds worked here, and it was the dream of all the students in the Academy to one day, after millennia of studies and work, be accepted into the Ivory Towers.

Skyfire led a wide-opticed Starscream into a lab on the highest level of the tallest tower, a large round room with sweeping windows so wide you could see the entire city-state. The young mech was riveted - torn between gazing out of the Tower's portals or wondering at the myriad experiments draped across the interlinked tabletops, he settled for jetting up near the high ceiling dome and darting thither and yon like a hummingbird, exclamations of wonder and eager, intent questions pouring from him like energon, bright and glittering in the sunlight. Skyfire watched him with a smile of his own - Starscream's obvious excitement reminded him of his first sight of the labs, years ago. He'd only been able to stand and stare, enthralled and marvelling at the new sights, the sounds, the energy...although the lab was empty now, the scientists off on their own business and the professors busy. Precisely why he'd brought Starscream now rather than later, since the intrigue of the place would cheer him, as well as giving them both the familiar background of a lab to try and work out what was wrong with the flier.

_You didn't need to be a scientist to guess it was something fairly serious, at least from Starscream's perspective_, Skyfire mused as he watched the dazzling figure dart and dip between tables, occasionally holding still long enough to examine something in minute, grave detail, now zipping over something else with only a glance. The flier tended to blow things out of proportion now and again, and Ripplewing sneered about how he seemed to take himself too seriously to see when he was being foolish. Skyfire saw it differently - after his offer of help in the lab session weeks ago, he had begun to notice how Starscream seemed determined to find his own course. He appeared to need to prove himself- whether to anyone in particular or just to himself was unclear - and that impression had stuck and become stronger as time passed and Skyfire watched the young mech more, his interest and curiosity growing.

The flier in question had settled near one of the great windows, fiddling with what looked like a discarded model of an alien DNA helix. His sky-blue fingers flickered over the thin energy streams, rerouting and refracting the tiny receptors, to form an intricate model of a miniature Decepticon seeker. Not noticing Skyfire's concerned gaze, he looked at it miserably, his earlier euphoria abruptly turning sour as he glared at the sparkling model.

Skyfire frowned. This could be more serious than he'd thought. Moving over to where the flier had settled, he knelt next to his pupil and asked gently "Starscream, is something wrong?"

The mech didn't look up or answer. Skyfire stayed, patient and quiet, until Starscream seemed to reach a decision and looked up at him.

"Professor...do you... Were you involved in the Great War?"

The hesitant tone was unusual for the animated flier, so Skyfire considered his reply more than normal.

"No; I wasn't called up, as a neutral" he indicated his unadorned canopy "and as a scientist. I'm not built to be a warrior, but I did teach my pupils to stay true to their beliefs and respect life, that of their own people as well as other races, whatever their chosen...side...was."

Starscream seemed to consider that, frowning slightly as he absently weighed the tiny figurine in one hand. Skyfire looked at him consideringly and decided to make a leap of logic.

"Starscream, is this anything to do with those two mechs...?" He trailed off as the flier started and looked at him wide-opticed.

"How...? I mean...I..." he pulled himself together somewhat as Skyfire nodded encouragingly. "It's nothing important."

"If it's bothering you then it's important." He looked the wavering flier in the optics, trying to prove to the mech at least one teacher was there to look out for his student. "Starscream, tutors are there to help their students, encourage them, look out for them. You can trust me."

"But...can you trust me?" The flier peered up at the larger jet almost sadly, yet a lingering anger simmered in the glowing red depths. Skyfire looked at him, totally nonplussed.

"After all," Starscream continued, the bitterness rising in his voice "who'd trust a Seeker? I'm probably planning to murder you all in recharge since I'm obviously so devious and untrustworthy..."

"Who told you that?" Skyfire gasped, stunned at the venom in Starscream's tone, the resentment felt and resentment channelled, bitterness rising like a fog to stifle the young life in prejudices formed before he was sparked. "Who said that to you?"

"Those two" the flier replied, a jerk of the head indicating invisible demons clinging to his wings as if to tear away his offending shell. "They'd been ignoring me from the start - and I wasn't too concerned about it, frankly, but now...they seem to've decided I'm a threat to the others, or something ridiculous like that." He smiled weakly at Skyfire while his optics cried pain. "Now they're calling me a... a _seeker,_ like being a flier's something to be ashamed of.

"_I can't help how I was made!"_ he howled, clenching his fists and shattering the model into smithereens. "I have as much right to be here as they do, _more_ than they do! I've _proved_ it, I _can_ do it... I..."

His anger gone as quickly as it surfaced, the flier buried his face in his hands. Skyfire rested a comforting hand on his wing and felt the tremors shuddering through the young mech's frame. "Starscream..."

"I'm _not _a seeker" he muttered haltingly. "I'm not..."

Skyfire was appalled. He'd never imagined any students of the Academy to be so blindly prejudiced, so close-minded to unjustly condemn one of their own - Starscream wasn't old enough to remember the last war, let alone be a member of the vicious aerial elite...

"Starscream. Starscream, listen to me." He put his hands on the young mech's shoulders and bent to look him in the optics. The young jet looked away, unwilling to meet Skyfire's gaze - as if he was ashamed. "Starscream, if anything, you should be proud of being built seeker-style."

The flier looked up, disbelieving, doubt in his optics.

"You heard me. You have the chance to break the mould, shatter the prejudices against seekers - if you're strong enough. If you work your hardest and do all you can to prove them wrong, whether they accept it or not you _will_ have earned your place here, a hundred times over."

Skyfire stared into red optics, willing the flier to believe him and understand.

"You are the best student I've had for years - you've got such potential it would be criminal to waste it. But you choose." The scientist let Starscream go and stood. "If you can weather this, prove everyone wrong, you will earn the respect of everyone in this Academy, seeker or not. If you choose not to...it's up to you. Are you strong enough to do this?"

Starscream looked up at him, new defiance in his blazing optics.

"I can!"

Skyfire grinned and clapped his shoulder. "Excellent."

Starscream and Skyfire are © Hasbro. The Academy might be too, but I'm not sure. Ripplewing and the two rotten little...beggars...harassing my seeker are, sadly, © me. The story itself's still © me too.


	3. Impulse and impetus

Hmmm - strangeness here. Uploaded this, had reviews on it, then it somehow isn't there when I look today. vv odd. Reuploaded, with apologies to those who reviewed...

NobleKnightKaeru - beams - Thanks! I love it when I get reviews, and ones like these make my day. Nice to know people like my stuff; there's something about writing a long story in chapters that's really rewarding.

Soryu - Ah. Errr...well, there's more in store for my poor Screampuff yet from those two, especially in this bit, but don't worry - I've got something lined up for them too. A little revenge. By the way, any ideas from anyone on what to call them? I'm still stuck. ;)

Skins Thunderbomb - another big beam - Hee - more sweetness in this one, and a long chapter as well! Enjoy!

Impulse and impetus

The next few weeks passed without notable incident. Skyfire saw with satisfaction that Starscream avoided the two mechs wherever possible - and ignored them when it wasn't, though his self-control occasionally stretched to breaking point. At times like these Skyfire contrived impromptu tutoring sessions for the flier; just himself, the young mech and an experiment to absorb them both. Now and then Starscream wanted to talk - to ask for advice or question something he'd learnt, delighting his teacher - but equally as often they worked in an increasingly companionable silence, simply enjoying the company and the life they both loved.

These sessions became more and more frequent and regular, until Starscream eventually joked that he'd better update his lesson program to include them. Skyfire looked at him, suddenly serious, until the young mech became uncomfortable and thought he'd said something wrong - then the scientist seemed to make a decision, and asked "Would you want to?"

From then on, the extra 'lessons' were official.

-------------------------

Starscream stared into the shallow tray, chin in his fists, optics narrowed and questioning.

"Nothing happened."

"Then wait."

The young flier chafed at the delay, shifting slightly from foot to foot in his impatience. The mech had always been impulsive, and he hated waiting too long for anything. Skyfire concealed a smile as he remembered the results of his pupil's short temper in earlier experiments - never boring, certainly, but on occasion spectacularly explosive.

"Be patient. It will come in its own time, not yours."

Slowly, oh so slowly as Starscream watched, tantalizing glimmerings and pinpricks of light softly started to blossom from the dank depths of the tray to form a serene network of radiant, shimmering stars.

"It's beautiful..." he breathed, wonder in his voice as he gazed entranced by the faerie glow.

Skyfire smiled wryly at his apprentice. "Worth the wait then, hmm?" he teased gently, watching the lights shine and twinkle as they reflected in Starscream's spellbound optics.

"Oh, yes..."

"Well worth the wait, sprite, like most things in life."

Starscream's optics dipped in confusion and he looked up at his teacher, pulling his gaze away from the mesmer of the lights. "What did you call me?"

"Sorry?"

"That strange word- _s-prye-tt_...what does it mean?"

Skyfire silently cursed his slip. "Oh... That..." He looked down at Starscream. The flier watched him with curious, lively optics - bright rubies that started to slowly dim with a hint of apprehension at his stalling...Skyfire mentally kicked himself. "A sprite. It's a mythological organic creature, very lively, curious, full of mischief..." ...a bright, shining, innocent soul. A magical being, giving light and life to those illuminated by its dazzling spark...

Impressions, reactions, certainties the scientist wasn't totally conscious of knowing. Yet.

"The description reminded me of a certain impatient student of mine."

Starscream looked at him, considering, seeming to size up his explanation and weigh it before deciding to respond. Skyfire cursed himself yet again. He knew the young mech had been called names before, been catcalled before, yet here he was blurting out an alien word with no way of knowing what Starscream would think he meant or how he'd react. He'd been sincere when he said it, accidental or not, but Skyfire had discovered you could never be entirely sure just where the impetuous flier's mercurial humours would lead him to next.

"A sprite?" Starscream said quizzically, taking care pronouncing the alien word with an enquiring glance at his teacher. He looked so serious, but Skyfire could have sworn he saw a hint of a smile lurking in those sparkling optics.

"Ah..."

"You think I'm a sprite?" the flier persisted, and Skyfire was immensely relieved to see the intrigued, quirky grin pulling at Starscream's mouth as the mech tried to imagine what a sprite was...after a moment he gave up, gurgling with delighted laughter at the relieved expression on Skyfire's face. The scientist tried to explain how he didn't want to offend the flier, but Starscream just waved his words away with an airy flick of a hand.

"Then a sprite I am!" the young mech eventually managed, perching on a tabletop and grinning at Skyfire, who couldn't help but beam back. "I just wish my other nicknames were as original."

"Well," Skyfire snickered, "you'll always be a whimsical sprite to me."

The pair howled with laughter, and the serious lesson was officially over.

The odd hassle or run-in with Starscream's favourite brothers aside, life soon returned to a normal routine for the flier. Skyfire had had the two mechs closeted with him in his classroom for a lengthy...chat, and although he wouldn't tell Starscream what was said, the pair kept their distance from then on and the only contact between them thus far had been the odd snooty glower or uncatchable comment when the flier hove into view.

That said, Starscream had been having some teething troubles with his lab-tech project. He'd got far enough along for Skyfire, poking his head into Ripplewing's classroom on some pretext or other, to have his optic caught by the jumble of parts laid out on his tabletop. Moving fully into the room, the scientist glanced over to his colleague who was deep in an involved explanation-slash-conversation with one of the young femmes. Judging - correctly - that it would be a while before Ripplewing surfaced and could take her attention from her class, he gazed curiously over the various projects on the tables before fixing on Starscream at the back of the room.

The flier was standing facing the back wall, glaring intently at a short, tapering chunk of what looked like silver piping with a selection of wires hanging in tangles from its base. From the look on Starscream's face it was clear he wasn't happy with the way his project was going, but compared to the scattered pieces of cast alloys and bundled wiring of a few weeks ago Skyfire was impressed.

Meandering over through the tables, trying not to knock off any loose equipment - and generally succeeding - Skyfire wandered through the students, greeting them and answering any questions they had while Ripplewing was busy. Glancing up after talking to one young mech he'd seen struggling with a snarl of wiring, Skyfire saw Starscream snort in disgust and stalk back to his table, plunking himself down onto the stool to turn his prize over in his hands, fingers exploring each connection he came to for a fault, a clue, some sign of where he was going wrong.

Stretching upright Skyfire stepped carefully over towards the flier's table, but stopped just short as he watched Starscream freeze mid-motion; pursing his lips in deep concentration, the young mech drummed his fingers softly, slowly against the barrel of his 'pipe' as his optics became suddenly dim and far away. Skyfire watched him quietly, knowing he had to let the flier grow on his own...but still curious and caring enough to watch over him as he did. The flier's fingers slowed, paused, stopped; a lazy smile wreathing his face as his twin scarlet torches lit like bonfires, he upended his silver canister, fiddling with wires that jogged in his wake.

Skyfire edged forwards despite himself. He wasn't sure if he wanted Starscream to see him just yet, enjoying watching a young mind and young project blossom together, but without even flicking his sensors towards him the flier said "Hello Professor..." Rather absently, if truth be told, but Skyfire still jumped. Or would have, if he hadn't snatched at his long-won self control and held still. Starscream grinned, still not looking up at him but elbow-deep in wires gushing from an open panel in his tube. "Surprised you, didn't I?"

"That you did" Skyfire admitted, gazing curiously at the young flier. "How did you know it was me? I wasn't close enough for you to 'scan me, and I don't think you can read minds..."

Starscream laughed, at last looking up from his pipe to fix Skyfire with a mischievous smirk. "It's not just this I've been working on you know" he said, waving the pipe like a baton so the wires fluttered and curled around his wrist. "I've been modifying my sensor grids. They're more accurate _and_ have a longer range than they did before. I think I can come up with some new variations too..." He sniggered suddenly. "I'll end up like a satellite."

Skyfire sighed. The flier's enthusiasm was infectious, and if what he said was accurate and not coloured with Starscream's usual overeagerness, it was a huge step forward for a first level student. But...

"Starscream - you could have fried your arrays and seriously damaged yourself."

"I knew what I was doing Skyfire" the young mech protested. The scientist winced at the confusion in his student's optics - _I thought you'd be proud, I did it on my own - I thought you'd be **pleased** - _but stuck to his guns. "I'm serious, Starscream. You should have had someone there in case something went wrong - what if you'd sliced through a fuel line by mistake? You'd have terminated before anyone knew something had happened!"

"_I knew what I was doing!_ I wasn't going to do anything stupid, and I think I know how my own sensor arrays work - I didn't need anyone's help!"

Skyfire bit back a sharp retort. Starscream was glaring at him, the earlier good mood vanished, the expected congratulations turning to scolding that left ashes in his mouth. The scientist sighed and sat next to the flier, who held his gaze reproachfully for a moment before turning away.

"Starscream, I'm not saying you can't do anything yourself."

A disbelieving snort from the young mech.

"I'm _not_. And I'm not trying to discourage you. I like teaching you too much to want to see you in pieces one morning if I can prevent it...I just said it wrong."

A quiet sigh from the flier; a near-unnoticeable relaxing of his shoulders was the only sign that Starscream had heard.

Skyfire waited in silence for a moment or two, but the flier stayed quiet. He was about to move away, sour regret and frustration at his laughable bungling of the situation gnawing at him, when Starscream shifted and looked vaguely in his direction.

"So..." he said slowly, carefully looking at a point three feet to Skyfire's right, "if I were to have someone there I trusted if I needed them, would you worry less about my tinkering?"

"Definitely" the scientist replied, so relieved the flier had seen his point he didn't bother about the considering sort of tone.

"Well then," Starscream said almost shyly, cocking his head to look at Skyfire "could you help me now?"

It was an apology, and Skyfire accepted it as such. "Of course! What's the problem?"

"I've had problems with the power converter for a while now." The flier frowned. "Actually, trouble with the entire grid. The theory's all there, but I couldn't come up with a viable power source that's compatible with the delicate circuitry and the fluctuation levels."

"So basically you need a refined energy cell?" It was a simplistic way of putting it, but without knowing what Starscream's pet actually was it was the best Skyfire could come up with.

"It took me a while, but I've found one."

"Oh?" The flier seemed to be taking the long route to an explanation, but it was better than a rushed version. Besides, it was Starscream's project. Let him tell it his way.

"Yep." The young mech beamed up at his teacher. "Me."

"What?!"

"Hold on!" Starscream blurted, hands in the air. "I _said_ the theory was all there...I talked to some of the cyberbiology bunch and did some research - it's not so different from... oh, a camera attachment or something. It'll use some of my semi-processed energon, half broken down, you know?- and use my energy to run! There's no feedback or overflow or anything since it uses my surplus energy. You see?" The flier was practically bouncing off the ceiling he was so excited.

Skyfire had to admit, the theory sounded plausible - he couldn't see any flaws so far. "So what is it you need me for?"

Starscream looked hurt, as if he was insulted. Skyfire could see it was entirely put on. "To be there when I test it, of course! ...And to help me fix it on. If I attach it to my arm it would be easiest to use, but I can't connect it or weld it on myself." He gave his teacher an appealing little glance. "Can you help me? Please?"

Skyfire sighed good-humouredly. "Could those optics get any bigger?...Certainly. You know you only had to ask."

Starscream's euphoric grin nearly took the top of his faceplate off. "Perfect!"

He never noticed the stares of two mechs across the room.

Or the twin smirks as a plot crawled into their minds.

An adjoining room next to the students' lab was set aside exclusively for the testing of various inventions - thick-plated walls, floors and a high ceiling, along with extensive soundproofing, set it aside from the other standard classrooms, and students were, as a rule, banned from trying out their many projects anywhere else.

Unfortunately for Starscream it was in use, so he had to stand and jitter in the main lab until the room was free. Seeing that Ripplewing was beginning to get extremely irritable, sending death-glares at the impatient young mech, Skyfire suggested that they browse the main library for a while until the room was free. Starscream reluctantly agreed, leaving his project on the table with many anxious, longing glances back as Skyfire steered him out of the room.

It took a while for the room's occupants to finish off their tests, and by the time Ripplewing contacted Skyfire on his comlink with a snappy "Get on then, it's free," Starscream had begun drifting restlessly around the library like a lost soul. As they walked to the library he'd given Skyfire a blow-by-blow account of how his creation worked, had been put together, how he'd come up with the idea - and it had developed into a long, winding, involved conversation on everything from recent scientific breakthroughs to just how Transformers came up with those ridiculous ideas that would never, ever work. Skyfire, sitting on one of the library chairs while Starscream wandered and talked as he paced, wondered what the younger mech would make of Cybertron's other marvels - the flier's wit and sly sarcasm made him an interesting conversationalist, and his curiosity mixed with an endearing innocence that begged to be shown more of life, as much as the universe had to give. All in all, Skyfire discovered, he greatly enjoyed spending time with the spirited flier.

When the call came through, Starscream jumped into the air with a whoop and sped off towards the lab, earning himself a sigh from the librarian who'd met the flier in his previous quest for information. Skyfire stifled a laugh and started after Starscream, warning him over the com to slow down before he literally ran into someone who wasn't so understanding. With a growl and a huff, the younger mech complied and pulled in next to his teacher as they flew out into the courtyard and arced sedately up to the lab's level.

He wasn't so controlled he could resist looping the loop around Skyfire though, and burst into the corridor with a quickly muffled snort of laughter. As Skyfire landed and stood with his hands on his hips looking down at him, the younger mech bit his lip and stood there, hands clasped behind him with feet together and head bowed, in a chastened attitude that didn't fool Skyfire for a minute. He stood looking down at his student, trying not to let out the grin tugging at his mouth, and failed spectacularly when Starscream tilted his head and peeked up at him, the beginnings of a mischievous grin flickering across his face. Skyfire couldn't help but burst out laughing, which promptly set Starscream off.

"You're irrepressible!" he spluttered eventually, fighting for control of his vocaliser.

"I know" the flier sniggered, sauntering down the corridor towards the lab. "it's my best feature."

Connecting Starscream's tube - he called it a Null Ray - to his arm was a little tricky. The flier was a terrible backseat driver, telling Skyfire where to connect wires and sensors even when the scientist didn't need him to, but Skyfire could see Starscream's wingtips trembling ever so slightly. Skyfire shut off the welding torch and passed it back for his student to replace on the heavy bench.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly, stepping round Starscream's wing to look him in the optics. "You don't have to test it yourself..."

He sighed at the characteristic stubborn look on the flier's face. "I'm _sure_! It _will_ work, and I'll be the youngest mech to get into the Ivory Towers." He grinned up at Skyfire, the trembling gone and replaced entirely by sheer excitement and bravado. "Watch this."

Starscream turned to face a section of circuitry he'd set up, an unfeasibly large amount of wires and circuit boards connecting a small light to an equally small power source. As enthusiastic as he was, the flier had enough sense not to try anything too grandiose for a first experiment - or to risk fritzing the Academy's equipment. The idea behind his Null Ray was to interrupt the flow of electrical rigs and stop them working for a period of time - Starscream could only guess at how long the effect would last, so the main aim of the tests were as much about increasing his accuracy as checking the thing worked.

Unconsciously copying the seekers he'd tried so hard to avoid, Starscream aimed carefully at the centre of the board as Skyfire stepped back to give him some room. With a quick glance and a flash of a dazzling smile at his teacher, Starscream narrowed his optics and fired.

Watching from just behind the jet, Skyfire felt rather than saw the violent spew of purple light slam into the him as the ray exploded; with a colossal **_WHAM_ **aspiteful hail of metal shards pepperedthe walls and ripped into Starscream's thinner plating with a terrible shriek that mirrored the flier's own. Skyfire stared in horror as Starscream jerked and twisted, a thin groan scouring his throat rising in pitch between locked teeth as his body spasmed; staggering and falling back as the single burst of energy drained his reserves to the dregs, the purple lightening crackling around him spat for the final time and died as Starscream crashed to the ground.

Skyfire dove to the floor beside him, scrabbling for any sign the flier was functional even as he opened his comlink to the techs in maintenance and shouted for help. He bent over Starscream's still form, desperately searching his optics for any spark of life -something, anything to show the flier was still alive.

He found none.

Dumdumdummmm...

Whoof. Long chapter. So,_ what went wrong with Starscream's null ray?_ I hear you cry. Find out in the next exciting episode...it'll be a good'n, I think. As always, please read n' review.

Starscream and Skyfire are, oddly enough, still © Hasbro. Funny that... The story, Ripplewing and the two miserable little...beggars bugging my seeker are © me.


	4. Reaction

Yeah, yeah, I know I promised a whopper, but this came out instead. I'm working my way up to it, so this chapter's a little short, but no less good. I hope... you tell me. Apologies for the reposting of chap. 3, but it vanished on me while the editing thing insisted it was still there. Eh?! Nnngh...oh well. Thank you to all those who reviewed - it must have been up for a minute or two then; that or my computer's going wonky - and here's the next chunk. Enjoy.

Reaction

All Skyfire could see was a bright, dazzling smile, a flash of a dark face shining with promise - a brilliant sprite turning in an instant to a screaming, writhing inferno of purple fire. His hands felt numb, huge and clumsy as he fumbled for the catch of Starscream's canopy, white fingers hovering over the flier's mutilated internals as he stared at the chaos sparking in the younger mech's chassis. Relays burnt out and hissing as they melted into the sputtering wires, sensors either frozen by the ray or splintered by shards of Starscream's plating forced into delicate circuitry, fuel lines slashed and mixing into mech fluid as sparks flew... Skyfire sat back on his heels and caught sight of the flier's shattered arm. The scientist quickly looked away, but grimly forced himself to grope in the oozing, shattered mess of wires and pieces of plating for the shutoff points in Starscream's shoulder. Looking back at the mess of what had been his student's chassis Skyfire felt sick. There was no way he'd survive long enough for the techs to reach them, and there was absolutely nothing Skyfire could do.

He jerked as Ripplewing poked her head into the room, her irate expression suggesting she'd heard the explosion and come to complain, but her optics went wide with horror as she saw the mangled flier lying still on the floor.

"What the-!" Darting into the room she wasted no time on exclamations, cutting off Skyfire's shaken, half-formed explanations with a curt command to "Keep the class _out_ and get the techs!"

Already they could hear curious voices murmuring outside the door, and Skyfire stumbled shakily to his feet as the door trembled, about to open...he slammed his fist onto the panel and froze out any commands to open from the other side, at least temporarily. He turned to see Ripplewing bent over the shattered flier, her thin fingers wedged between crushed plates to reach the shutoff valves in Starscream's wing. She quickly snapped the valves and worked her fingers free, all the while examining the flier's ruined torso and muttering to herself. Her hand shot out with a jerk - Ripplewing swore sharply and shook it before leaning forward again to pore over Starscream. Skyfire took a step towards them and her head whipped round, glaring at him as the flier's fluids dripped from her fingertips.

"Get out, get the techs and keep an optic on the class" she snapped. "You're no use here, and I can't concentrate if you're standing around panicking."

"He's my student, Ripplewing! I won't just-"

"You will if you want him functional again!" she retorted, flashing a final scathing glance before ignoring him and picking through torn fuel lines to salvage some of the flier's remaining power. "If I can patch some of this he'll have a chance of surviving until the techs get here - so_ get out and let me work!"_

Skyfire opened his mouth to argue...then turned and moved to the door. Laying his hand on the panel he could hear Ripplewing working feverishly - sputtering wires twisting and sparking in her grasp as she reconnected battered circuitry, rerouted and salvaged what she could of the systems that kept Starscream alive.

Feeling as if he was betraying his student - _No_, Skyfire thought immediately. _Starscream was - **is** - more than my student... my **friend** - _the scientist steeled himself and left the room, with a dull ache in his chest that moaned hopelessly that he would never see Starscream again.

---------------------------------------------

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Only Ripplewing and the story are mine, nothing else. Don't sue, but tune in later for the next bit. I'm thinking up a little background here for Ripplewing - a cookie for anyone who guesses what she was before getting into teaching. If it's as obvious as my equally impulsive challenge to readers of my Dinobot/Terrorsaur slash, I'll be giving out a lot... Ah well. Read and review!


	5. Complications

Hey people! New chapter again (well, duh) and I've been a bit behind with my reviews...so I'm putting them all here! (beams and looks pleased with herself.)

Soryu: O.O' Am I that transparent?! You'll find out about the ray later, but Ripplewing's ''secret' is here...

Simply Crisis: Don't worry. I'm not going to kill off my Screampuff, but it ain't pretty...

Skins Thunderbomb: Yeah, it killed me to do that to him, but... it had to happen. Or something like it - and yes, the brothers'll get their comeuppance, but not..just...yet. I haven't worked that part out yet ;)

Canis maior: I'll only make it slash if the story lets me. If it doesn't, I won't, but if you've seen any of my other stuff you'll know how I think about Tf 'slash', but I won't put it in for the sake of a PWP quickie. Is it the 'guy-guy' thing you don't like or the actual PWP-sex-scene parts? I'm not being snitty, just curious and nosey 0:)

Cobalt Cat: I can't say -yet - but look! I did! Or soon-ish, anyway. Speaking of which...

Here we go again!

* * *

Consequences 

They sat, side by side, savouring the night breeze drifting aimlessly around the tower-tips of the Academy. Skyfire didn't think to question how they had arrived; Starscream was sitting quietly next to him, the stars were shining in the warm night above... nothing else mattered. They sat in silence - there was no need to speak, nothing that needed to be said. Everything was right, utterly right, and the scientist could feel it resonate in his core. Everything was fine.

After a while, he slowly became aware of something disturbing the rightness, nudging insistently at the total, absolute serenity of the moment. He frowned absently, fumbling vaguely for whatever it was that could possibly be important enough to interrupt so he could deal with it and get back to gazing at the stars.

Realisation eventually floated gently to the top of his consciousness, oddly nebulous though it was, that he had meant to tell Starscream something. _What was it now... Ah, yes, that was it. _He turned to his student, dimly noting that the movement felt slow, a little...strange... He batted the feeling aside as unimportant. He had to concentrate to remember what, exactly, it was that he...ah yes.

"I'm glad you're all right Starscream" he said, turning his face to the young flier with a warm smile. "I was worried; I should have stopped you testing the ray."

"You needn't have been" Starscream said, turning his head slightly but not looking fully at Skyfire. The flier's face was half in shadow from the nearest tower, his optics burning steadily half in glittering starlight, half wrapped in wraith's tails. The effect was a little...unsettling, despite the snug, fuzzy cloud reassuring him that _it's fine, everything's wonderful. You're here, and everything's right, isn't it?_ Skyfire tried to activate his other sensors to see him better, but couldn't quite manage it somehow.

Now, despite the numbing pink fog, he was beginning to feel a little uneasy, but Starscream was still talking. "You needn't have worried, Skyfire" he said, pulling his legs around so he sat side-on, half crouching. "It didn't hurt."

Now bumps were appearing in the fog, hinting of jagged edges and white water. Skyfire sluggishly reached for the branch of normality keeping him out of the dark current he could sense just beneath the fog - "It _looked_ painful. Your arm was a mess..."

The flier smiled up at him dreamily. And _now_ there was a voice screaming at him through the mist, foggy and muted through the vapour, _Get out of this you fool, **get out! **_

It was then he realised that there were no higher towers.

The young mech laughed, as if Skyfire had made a particularly simple, funny mistake, and he had to correct him as you would a child.

"Oh, Skyfire! Of course that hurt. That hurt a lot. But dying isn't painful...you just "

And the flier smiled at him, smiled with his jaw and cheek dented beyond recognition and his right wing an oozing stump; his chest gaping wide with rigs sparking and his right arm a straggling tangle of spurting, clotted wires with fuel lines dragging behind...

"It's all right, Skyfire" Starscream sighed, voice throttled and wet as the fuel bled in gouts from his throat and wires scraped against Skyfire's carapace as he sat there, frozen, unable to move with the cold, creeping horror of guilt and death.

_"...you showed me. It doesn't hurt..." _the corpse murmured, reaching up one fuel-oozy hand to grab his shoulder...

Skyfire came shrieking back to reality like an express train, falling into consciousness with a jolt so abrupt he almost felt it, clinging feverishly to the bench for support. Head snapping up, optics wide and panicked, he saw a slight, shadowy figure standing before him - he almost screamed again, then reason roared loudest in his mind and showed him it was-

"Ripplewing," he gasped in relief; then sudden panic swamped him. "How is..."

"Stable, stable" she snapped. "Like the last time you asked. I told you - he won't be anywhere near all right for a good while yet, let alone able to talk to you or anyone else. That infernal surge shorted out his radio, self-repair systems, most of his sensors - anything with connections sensitive enough to _be _fried _was_ fried. Don't even get me started on his arm and wing. So for Primus' sake as well as mine and the medics, _will_ you refrain from asking inane questions!"

Skyfire hung his head and propped it on his hands with a sigh. "I'm sorry... it's my fault. I should have done something; insisted a drone tested it, _I_ tested it, _something_..."

Ripplewing's optics narrowed. "Beating yourself up about it won't help him or anyone else" she said crisply.

Stalking rapidly around the larger scientist, she sat next to him on the wide bench. The Academy wasn't used to serious accidents, and this waiting room was rarely used, if ever. As such it had a neglected air, despite the attentions of the diligent sweeper droids and the odd conscientious tech, adding its own gloomy weight to the already guilt-racked scientist taking up most of the corner bench. Not that this impressed Ripplewing.

"Look at yourself. You're no good to him, the medics or the other students" she said, waving a hand at the door. "Herding the students out and letting them loose for the rest of the lesson was irresponsible. Not being strict enough with the flyboy was sentimental foolishness. It happened, now deal with it."

Skyfire looked up at her, shocked and a little hurt. Ripplewing saw the look but rolled right over it. "Welcome to the real world. Bad things happen to people, so you fix them up as best you can and send them out to fight another day, a little wiser and a lot sorrier, and they either come back stronger or they come back dead. That's how life works, at the core of it, and if we'd bashed out more of that mech's cockiness he wouldn't be in this mess."

"But then he wouldn't be Starscream" Skyfire murmured faintly, groping for firm ground under his feet as he tried to brace himself against the torrent of harsh words.

Ripplewing snorted. "He'd be alive, and safer - and so would we! I was a war-medic, Skyfire - I know all about what happens when flyboys let loose. They get killed, and take others with them."

Under the smothering weight of guilt and fear and the remains of the nightmare, a breath of anger whispered over the embers of Skyfire's spark. "You have no right to condemn him, Ripplewing" he grated, "and neither does anyone else in this so-called Academy. The mech has potential, so much it's obvious, but if you're willing to throw him away on bad memories and a _single _mistake...!"

"Yes, good, that's enough." Ripplewing cut in, holding up one long-fingered hand as Skyfire stood and glared down at her. "Now we've cut through all the guilt and the self-pity, can I at least start on fixing you?"

Skyfire looked at her in consternation, then as she flicked her gaze pointedly at his wing and shoulder he noticed his white plating was peppered with shards of metal from the null-ray. His internals constricted for a microsecond when he saw the jagged slivers of red and silver embedded into his arm.

He looked back to Ripplewing, the anger ebbing swiftly as it had arrived as he saw how worn and depleted she looked. "I can manage..."

"Phloxes and prettification" she snapped absently, yanking him onto the floor by his other arm and level with her shrewd purple optics. "If I don't the medics'll have to, and they're busy enough."

This time Skyfire saw the distracting bluster and sharp words for what they were. "Thank you."

She snorted, but started working out the splinters.

He knew there was nothing he could do for the flier other than get in the way of the medics, but after Ripplewing had methodically pulled and sealed each of the splinter wounds Skyfire headed down to the infirmary. It wasn't that far from the waiting room, thankfully, but the crisp pale corridor seemed to stretch into infinity as Skyfire hovered uncertainly by the entrance. He knew there was no way of talking to Starscream, or even what he'd say if there was, but the remaining guilt creeping behind his optics coupled with his friendship with the mech kept him standing there waiting, indecisive and anxious, until a leaving tech took pity on him and waved the scientist in.

The medics had had to work fast if they were to stop the flier going into stasis permanently, so they hadn't been gentle removing Starscream's outer plating. Most of his red chestplate lay in piles of ragged strips on the floor, and what remained of his wing had been opened up like a cyberbiology specimen so they could get to the ruined sensors and fuel lines beneath. Starscream's helmet and lower faceplate were a shattered wreck, almost a mockery of how he had once looked.

"It's not as bad as it looks" the tech said, correctly interpreting Skyfire's low gasp of shock. "We had to practically pull his plating off to get at the major damage, it was so dented, but it's only cosmetic. Your friend was lucky - his fuel and fluid system was this close to igniting but we managed to stabilise him a while ago and got his self-repair up and running." She turned to give Skyfire a weary, comforting grin and clapped him carefully on the shoulder. "He'll be fine. May not come out of stasis for a while, but that's his internals checking him over and pulling power for repairs, so nothing to worry about. He's lucky."

Skyfire shook with relief, legs suddenly shaking and unable to hold him as if he'd been the one injured. The tech smiled sympathetically. "Kid's lucky to have someone here for him." Skyfire nodded absently, unable to think as his mind, seemingly spinning for hours on end, suddenly fell into thankfulness and he proved incapable of doing more than nodding. The tech, understanding, made for the door as patiently as she could in her exhaustion and said kindly "Look, he might wake up today, it might be next week, but you're welcome to sit with him, if you want, so's he's not on his own."

That, Skyfire could respond to easily. "Thank you. All of you...for everything you've done."

"No problem" she said, an honest, pleased smile shining through the fug of energy monitors wailing thinly for recharge and turning her plain, masked face into a picture. She left, and the door hummed softly shut behind her as Skyfire settled himself next to Starscream's still form.

The flier didn't wake that day, or the next, and Skyfire still had classes to go to despite his preferences, so it was with dismay late one evening that he walked into the medical bay to hear that Starscream had reactivated that morning without him.

He almost ran into the younger mech's room, casting hurriedly around only to see him recharging on a berth. The medic came in to tell him quietly that, as the damage was so severe, a few systems weren't totally fixed yet like his radio and vocaliser, but the main routines were up and running.

Skyfire thanked him absently; the medic, noting the scientist's absorbed expression, left him to his own devices.

The scientist moved to the unconscious Starscream's side and stood over him almost protectively. _The medics said you asked for me when you woke up... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there - I let you down all over again... _

"I'm sorry Starscream" he whispered, hands clenching again and again at his sides as he relived the explosion and the terrible waiting after; the scream, the flash, the look on his face...

"I let you down again."

Total silence filled the room.

Then...

_Skyfire...?_

The scientist started and looked around.

"Starscream?"

He looked down to see the red optics flickering, growing stronger and flashing into full, flaming life.

_You never let me down._

"Wha..._How_...?

_Internal radio, remember? _The flier grinned, the familiar shining sprite-smile restored to its possessor.

"The medic said it was offline..."

Starscream shrugged. _I suppose I fix fast._

Skyfire smiled hugely, tension pouring from him like steam from a smelter as anxiety and fear cooled and vanished. The beam became a laugh, and Starscream looked at him in amused bewilderment as the scientist roared with laughter that almost bordered on the hysterical. Skyfire didn't care; he had his sprite back, and all was well.

Elsewhere, a pair of mechs twinned in dark hues of not in spirit glowered as they schemed.

"You should've let me _shoot_ the slagger Dar! Then we'd be sure!"

The sleek musclecar leant elegantly against a wall as his brother raved and paced, as different in temperament as they were alike in looks. "Patience, Combine. I told you, that is not the way. The Balance must be kept. The Program must be equal."

"Yeah, yeah, I _know,_ Dar, but the runt's still alive and foulin' up our air! When're we gonna _get_ him?!"

"Patience!" Derby repeated, sharply this time. "If you run ahead and we are caught, our chance to rid Cybertron of more flying garbage is lost and the Balance will be undone. There must always be conflict, and death is only a means to the End." A vicious smile gleamed like righteous fire in the dark. "And if some miserable guttersnipe has to suffer to preserve the eternal Balance, well..."

Optics locked in honourable, ignominious murder. "Then the end justifies the means. Don't you agree, brother mine?"

"Yeah!" Combine grinned.

"Time for some...fun."

* * *

As ever, please read and review. I just found this line-thing - very handy. much tidier now. ;)

Little notelet - Derby is pronounced Englishly, ie. _Dahr-by,_ and Combine like the Harvester or the gun or whatever** (Com**-bine, as opposed to "Constructicons, com-**bine!**" It's all in the emphasis.) Pardon my little eccentricities.

I don't own anyone/thing except for Ripplewing, the Unnamed Tech and the two little gits bugging my seeker whom I have finally named after a brainstorming session with my Dad. (note to the above: Thanks!) and the get out you fool bit was inspired by The Wind In The Willows. Please don't sue me anyone.


	6. Dark clouds rising

Okey-dokey people, the action-packed Chapter Six is here and I'm officially on twenty-three pages! Wooha! (_Calm down, calm down, just get on with the intro..._) Ahem. Apologies. I'll get on with it now...

Nobleknightkaeru: Thank you, thank you... (grins hugely and bows) Screamer wasn't in any danger _reeeeeally_. Honest. Would've meant I couldn't've finished the story! (gasps in mock horror.) Plus Skyfire and/or Dreadmoon would've killed me, not to mention the fangirls... brrr.

Soryu: (grins again happily) It seems I'll have to make my terrible mock-challenges a bit harder then... still, it's nice to know I'm getting people's personalities right. Glad you thought the dream was scaryish - I wondered if I'd overdone it, but then I'm paranoid (pulls face) As for the rest...well, you'll have to read this'n to find out, but it ain't pretty - again...

Skins Thunderbomb: 'Course he is! ;) Don't you worry, they'll get what they deserve this chapter. Maybe. It goes a bit pear-shaped... And PWP stands for "Plot? What plot?", usually an excuse for a random 'sex' scene (note the quotation marks there ;) ) I had no idea what it was 'til I asked, so now I've passed on the favour. "Ask And Ye Shall Receive An Earful", guys! Pass on the sacred knowledge of the PWP!

Heh. Sorry. I'm hungry, and I get...weird when I'm hungry.

Right then, on with the show!

* * *

Dark clouds rising

By the time the medics decided that a certain red flier was recovered enough to return to classes, he'd quite thoroughly driven their entire staff into either fits of giggles or apoplexy. It wasn't that he was a demanding patient - far from it - but when he was cooped up and unable to fly - or concentrate on playing 'What the _slag_happened to my null ray?!'- he became, as the friendly tech affectionately put it, a "bother with wings". With one particular medic, who was of the opinion the flier's injuries weren't half as bad as his colleagues made out and was merely being coddled because he was a "newbie student", Starscream took a perverse pleasure in seeing just how far, exactly, he could push the unlucky medic's restraint and temper whenever he came in to check up on him. A typical exchange would result in the medic storming out the door growling uncomplimentary remarks about Starscream's designer and complaining to Primus about being stuck with the young mech, while Starscream would chuckle demonically to himself and give Skyfire a totally innocent, beatific '_Who, **me**?' _look and forget, for a while, that he couldn't fly or do much else.

At Starscream's request, as well as to try and save the medical staff's collective sanity, Skyfire brought the younger mech the remaining pieces of his null ray. There weren't many.

"I don't _understand _it," the flier said for the hundredth time, scowling down at a small container half-full of shredded pieces of metal, singed wires and burnt out connections. "If anything went wrong it should have been in the wiring, or in the converter, or...or something logical! It doesn't make sense that it just blew up!"

Skyfire had been sitting beside the irate mech for a while now and still hadn't managed to get a word in edgewise other than a sympathetic "mmmh" or two. Starscream was still too upset and worked up to make any real inroads into what had happened that day, and Skyfire had his suspicions that they never would - the pieces were far too small and either too charred or damaged to give up their secrets. Almost conveniently so...

He shook his head. _That sort of thinking will make you paranoid,_ he thought. _There's nothing to suggest that this was anything more than a particularly horrible accident._ But somehow, deep at the back of his mind, there was a suspicion - just a tiny, niggling thought that wouldn't quite leave him - that it was no lab accident that caused Starscream's injuries.

Not that he would mention such a thing to the flier, of course. The last thing Starscream needed was Skyfire voicing his conspiracy theories; the mech would go flying off to do who knows what, and he was emotive and irritable enough as it was, due - Skyfire was sure - to trying to work out the riddle of the null ray when he should be recharging and repairing. Skyfire kept his thoughts to himself, and helped the flier as best he could.

When the medics finally, _finally_ said that Starscream could leave the infirmary, the young mech whooped joyfully and jumped into the air, transforming and doing a dizzying somersault down the corridor before yelling his thanks again to the medic and the tech femme who had let Skyfire in four days earlier, then roaring off down the passage. The medic rolled his optics and sighed good-naturedly, while the tech snorted with laughter and complimented Skyfire on his choice of pupils. Skyfire heaved a sigh of his own, thanked the medics himself and followed the flier out at a more sedate pace, despite having to hastily smother a snigger at the sight of the unfortunate medic - who'd been on the decidedly wrong end of Starscream's cabin fever - down on his knees and thanking Primus that the flier had left. It took some restraint on the scientist's part not to tell him that if he hadn't patronised and sneered about the younger, rather more intelligent and above all _temperamental_ mech's misfortunes in front of Starscream, the medic wouldn't have been so glad to see him leave.

Skyfire decided to let the medic stew in his own juices and followed the flier out to the courtyard, where he was doing enthusiastic loop-the-loops and being watched by a few curious students who'd heard of the flier's 'accident.' A femme from his class called up to Starscream and the flier responded - twisting over in midair, flipping into his robot mode and landing gracefully in front of her.

Skyfire watched the two talking for a moment or two, satisfying himself that Starscream really was fine and functioning before turning and walking back to his classroom with a spring in his step. He missed Starscream turn, cast around as though he'd lost something and gaze almost disappointedly over to where they had entered the courtyard. The younger mech's optics brightened when he caught sight of a white wing disappearing into a higher corridor.

_Oh, well, I'll catch up with him later... _he thought. _I thanked him before, but I really owe him...as if I minded that!_

Shrugging, Starscream turned to try and fend off the clingy femme cooing over "the poor wounded flier!" as if she couldn't see he was perfectly fine. He was convinced she was about to either expire from excess gushiness or fall on his shoulder and ask him to bond with her.

_I know which one I'd prefer..._ he thought irritably.Thankfully one of her friends saw he was suffering and came over to innocently and unobtrusively pry her friends' gooey digits off his arm. Starscream gave her a relieved, thankful glance, which she returned with a dramatic roll of the optics and a muttered apology, leaving him to wonder just _what_ sort of transformer would get the surges for any mech purely because they were a bit battered?

He sighed inwardly, and was about to hurl himself into the air again and forget about it when one of his classmates came over - Byzarre, one of those mechs who was permanently curious to the point of being gratingly nosey. Nice enough, the flier supposed, but with an irritating habit of being excessively chummy to hide his rampant curiosity.

"Hey, Screamer" he grinned. Starscream hated that nickname with a passion. "What's the story on the conspiracy theory? I hear someone strapped a gun to your arm an' tried to terminate you!" Starscream rolled his optics and made to answer him, when -

"_I_ heard he made the gun himself" muttered a sulky-looking mech slouching on a low wall a short way behind the newcomer. "_I_ heardhe was _trying _to make a weapon."

"_What?!"_

Starscream looked from one mech to the other in shock as Byzarre dropped his optics and stared at the floor, the sullen mech obviously saying what had been on his mind from the start. "Who told you _that?_"

Byzarre shrugged his shoulders and mumbled something incoherent about some sort of 'mill' whilst the other slunk unnoticed into a passing crowd of older students. Starscream ignored the xenoism, whatever it meant, and fixed the xenobiol student with an increasingly irritated glare. "Bizz, if you don't tell me right now what's been going on..."

He trailed off, surprised and a little hurt when Byzarre shrank back from him, hands upraised. "Hey, Screamer, don't get mad at _me..._ I mean, I only heard it around, you know? I never thought it was true for an astrosecond, I swear..."

"Oh, for Cybertron's sake - Bizz, you look like I'm about to take your head off!" Starscream snapped, by now extremely irritated and more than a little worried. The apprehension was rapidly getting covered over by the exasperation, though... "Never thought _what_ was true? _Just tell me what's been going on!"_

Byzarre seemed to come to a decision and lowered his hands - slowly though, defensively, as you would if you were in front of an enraged xeno animal. Or a Seeker. "Okay, okay, just...just don't shoot the messenger, all right?"

It was, Starscream later thought dryly, when he'd come to his senses, a rather apt phrase.

Skyfire had the strangest feeling of deja vú as he walked into his classroom. It wasn't of time repeating itself in the proper sense, it felt more...uneasy, somehow - almost ominous, like storm clouds covering the stars...

He shook his head, firmly trying to dispel the feeling. As a scientist he tended to live more by reason and patience than intuition, but he was unable to rid himself of a sinking, almost despairing sense of something close by going horrible, dreadfully _wrong_. Skyfire busied himself around the room, fiddling with datapads and equipment that didn't really need to be fiddled with, trying to concentrate but not realising he was failing until he snapped out of an absent-minded daze with a test tube just on the edge of tipping its contents all over his fingers. He sighed and replaced it in the rack, then wandered over to the windows. There was actually a stack of reports and classwork waiting that he'd...neglected somewhat over the past few days, but he still couldn't quite bring himself to settle down and _do_ anything. For a being who prided himself on his patience, it was a little worrying. Not to mention irritating.

With an exasperated huff, he strode determinedly back to his desk, sat down and picked up the top datapad with a determined expression. He _would_ get this heap done and out of the way, if only for his students' sake. Skyfire paused in his writing as his mind drifted back to Starscream. _I wonder what he'll do in the lab now...probably scowl at his null ray and drive Ripplewing insane._ The skimmer hadn't changed her opinion of Starscream one bik after the...accident, despite - or perhaps because of - Starscream thanking her afterwards. Maybe it was the quiet surprise in his optics - at her old profession, Skyfire knew - that she'd misinterpreted as surprised that she'd helped him. Whatever the reason, the two seemed to have resumed the old pattern of contentedly and professionally Not Getting On.

In the short pause, in the brief lull after he'd stopped scribbling absently on a battered datapad, Skyfire became vaguely aware of a noise he hadn't noticed during his musings. As he listened, a faint frown appearing on his face, the hum became slightly louder.

Then louder still.

It turned into an all-out screaming match. And, to Skyfire's horror, he recognised one of those voices very well indeed...

The scientist hurtled over to the window, threw it open and leant out as far as he could, hastily scanning the courtyard for the source of the din. And to his dismay he found it in the dead centre of the courtyard, where a howling scarlet dervish was beating the living scrap out of Combine and Derby.

Starscream was attacking like a mech possessed, screaming and lashing out with a berserker's fury at the two slower, heavier groundbots who could only try to ward off the strikes - he went at the brothers like a fiend from Hell, cracking Derby's faceplate with a lightening bolt of a punch even as he dodged a pathetic kick from Combine and dug his fists into the other mech's midsection, buckling the plating and knocking him to the floor. Starscream's face was flooded with an unspeakable rage; he was a roaring, punching, flailing kicking blur of red, an avenging devil - Skyfire stood frozen in total horror as he stared down at a student he barely recognised, staring and staring even as his heart screamed at him to get down there and stopit, to find out what was wrong later and just_ Stop it, stop it, for Primus' sake stop it now! _

As he threw himself out of the window and cannoned through the sky to the gathering crowd, Skyfire didn't even notice he'd cried out loud.

He hurtled down into the courtyard and straight to Starscream's side, grabbing his arms and heaving him backwards as the flier struggled in his grip, kicking and shrieking as if he'd gone completely insane. For all Skyfire knew he had - the scientist yanked him off his feet and tried to hold him still as Derby and Combine pulled themselves painfully to their feet, wincing and moaning with an impressive display of injuries a real seeker wouldn't be ashamed to admit to. None of this came through to Starscream though - his optics blazing with pure hatred and utter fury, he bucked and writhed in Skyfire's grasp as his vocaliser gave out and he snarled like a demon, the scientist trying vainly to make him calm down and hold still and failing miserably.

An almost paternal panic and a sudden, infuriated anger whipped through Skyfire - he swung the berserk flier round and shook him twice, hard, and snapped for him to get a hold of himself, glaring so angrily he finally got through the blood-red haze behind Starscream's blistering optics, even the young flier seeing that, this time, Skyfire was really mad - at him.

"_Starscream, what the HELL do you think you're you doing?!"_

Even if the flier could've replied any answer he had died in the face of Skyfire's abnormal fury and mixed-up concern. He stared into angry, anxious ice-blue optics, and the traces of his outburst ran cold. The scientist saw, and put him down far more carefully than when he'd scooped the flier up. Skyfire noticed with a painful flash of guilt the dents his fingers had made in cracked silver shoulders.

Before he could apologise or say anything at all to the flier, let alone get to the bottom of the matter, a small flock of the Academy's more senior Professors, all lesser members of the Council that oversaw the teaching section of the Academy, swooped screeching and gobbling onto the three young mechs like vultures to the field of honour, bearing off the scarred shells of Derby, Combine and Starscream in no uncertain terms to the Council Chambers - where, no doubt, they would be picked clean of the scraps of events and laid bare before the entire Council for judgement. Skyfire made to follow them but a short, almost tubby mech half turned to dismiss him with a cursory wave of a hand, well pleased with their catch and bearing off their guilty bounty to the higher Council members for display.

Skyfire seethed. His patience had been tested enough that day, and a snooty lower level Council member was almost - _almost_ - enough to set him off completely. He growled quietly but reigned in his struggling temper, looking after the group as they trooped off. Starscream, a little nervous but not about to show it in front of the two brothers hobbling and sparking beside him, glanced back with an appealing expression that was just short of an entreaty. _Please understand..._ his optics seemed to say, _Please..._

Skyfire looked back at him, feeling hopeless and helpless, and totally missed the sly smirks passing between a battered Derby and a dented, limping Combine.

_Things are going exactly as planned._

Skyfire clenched his fists as the group retreated, Starscream still giving him the occasional glance back until they disappeared into a high corridor, and felt like the most useless mech in creation. Gritting his teeth in utter frustration, the Professor turned and abruptly broke up the whispering crowd of gathering onlookers with an uncharacteristic sharpness that continued into his next lesson immediately after, leaving his students wondering what on Cybertron could have happened to their normal teacher. The lesson endured and finally over, Skyfire stormed down the corridors to the Council Chambers - specifically to the Audience Hall where most complaints were aired. Traditionally, students were disciplined by the tutor whose lesson the misbehaved in, but it seemed someone somewhere influential had taken things out of the tutors' hands.

Skyfire strode into the hub of the chambers and, to his surprise, saw Starscream sitting alone outside the huge main door to the Hall, elbows on his knees and staring at the floor. The scientist hurried over, any lingering irritation at the flier's stupid behaviour vanishing with the echoes of his steps as he wondered aprehensively at the strange, limp way the young mech was sitting. He came up beside Starscream, but the flier didn't so much as glance up at him.

A sick, gnawing dread started to rise in Skyfire's internals. He bent over and sat on his haunches next to his pupil and asked, "Starscream, what's wrong - what happened? What did they say?"

Now the flier looked up. His dark face was dead, devoid of any emotion other than a slow, far-off threat of deep shock that hovered in the depths of his dull optics like the herald of an earthquake. In a lifeless, hollow voice Skyfire had never heard before and hoped to never hear from his lips again, Starscream stared right through his aghast mentor and said,

"They want me barred, Skyfire. I've been expelled."

* * *

Oh boy. I can't wait to see the response for this one...so, as ever, please read and review - but don't yell too hard. My concrete bunker's only three floors below sea level... 

Skyfire and Starscream are © Hasbro or somebody. Not me. I only have the story - that **is** © me and I will ritually disembowel anyone who steals it now I've got this far.


	7. To mourn

Heeere she comes to save the daaaaaaaaaaaaay! New chapter! Good mood! Everything is wonderful! Well...unless you ask Starscream, poor kid...

Cobalt Cat: I know, I know...life ain't fair. 'Specially in fanfic. You wouldn't think he's my favourite character, would you?!

Nobleknightkaeru: Thank you, thank you...wait, didn't I do that last time? (Thinks.) Ah well. I'm trying to show that Screampuff wasn't exactly a saint before he joined the 'cons - but read on for his version of events. I won't spoil it.

Indigo-ink: Waargh! (ducks for cover in the blast) Penetrate?! It only blew the bldy doors off! ... Ahahaha. (puts Michael Caine mask down.) Kidding. Actually, the entire thing's flattened... Still, nice to see the little gits are loathable - means I'm doing my job right. (And it keeps Screamer happy - I couldn't be even vaguely complimentary even if I wanted to!) I love reviews (or anything else) that make oi larf. (Family in-joke - don't ask.) And speaking of updating...I will if you will (winks) Pleeeease?

Soryu: True, true, but he's cute when he's angry. We like him when he's angry. And he hates being played around with... (Evil grin) Skyfire'll hit the roof - in time. Give him a sec. And as for the sullen mech...I have plans for him, yes indeedy. Watch this space. And by the way - thanks for giving me a creative jumpstart the last two chapters. I had no clue how to start this puppy until I read my reviews - you and Indigo both. Thanks guys! (Hands out medals. Shiny medals, Muttley...Meggal! Meggal! Urgh - told you I was in a good mood. I'm quoting Catch the Pidgeon.)

Okay then...off we go!

* * *

To mourn

Starscream stared up at his teacher in dumb bewilderment. Somewhere, behind the icy wall that had frozen over his spark when he heard the words, he dimly felt his soul screaming, howling, protesting that it wasn't fair, they were wrong, it wasn't all his fault...but none of it reached him. He was cut off from his body and his furious, blazing spark couldn't touch him; just a cold memory of a mind that inhabited a shell far removed from him, and all he could do was stare at Skyfire and say "They want me barred, Skyfire. I've been expelled."

It wasn't enough, wasn't nearly enough, but the limp, lifeless words broke a hole in the ice and he started to quake, the realisation finally breaking through and hitting him that he'd lost - lost everything he'd worked so hard and so long for, and it was all his own fault. If he hadn't blundered into that...

...that...

...wait.

...No.

Oh, no.

_This wasn't my fault. _

Scarlet optics narrowed into blood-red slits.

The _hell_ it wasn't his fault! Those two slag-sucking excuses of ground-scraping dirt-nosed tailpipes dragged his name through the mud and called him a seeker, starting rumours - his coolant boiled at the thought. They were asking for some sort of payback!

His optics widened and realisation seared blinding through his sensors even as Skyfire stumbled unsteadily to the floor in front of him.

_They **were** asking for payback..._ He stared unthinkingly ahead and his mouth dropped open, not noticing Skyfire looking at him with increasing concern as he gazed fixedly past his worried mentor. _They practically **invited** me to attack them and I walked right into it! I'm such an **idiot!** Why the slagging inferno didn't I see it coming?..._

"Starscream? Starscream, talk to me! What happened...?" The anxiety in Skyfire's tone finally registered and the flier snapped his head round to fix him with a ferocious look.

"_Those two scrap-junkie neophyte alchemists set me up!_ They...those-those conniving, devious, Primus forsaken little-"

"Stop, stop - Starscream, what are you talking about?!" Skyfire sputtered, concern mixing with confusion as he tried to keep up. "What do you mean? Why-"

"They planned this whole thing from the start!" Starscream was way past feeling sorry for himself - he'd bypassed Angry and was heading for Absolutely Bloody Furious at a huge rate of knots. "All of it - the names, the bickering, the slag-spreading - they knew exactly what I'd do, how I'd react..." The flier ground to a snarling, spluttering stop, choked with fuming indignation and fast approaching total meltdown he was so furious. If there was one thing Starscream truly hated it was being manipulated, and the thought of someone deliberately and accurately turning him into their puppet was more than he could bear.

Sadly, he was so irate that Skyfire, running along beside his train of thought and trying to jump on, kept missing the handholds on the sides of the carriage.

He took a flying leap of logic and managed to grab a rail. "Starscream, if you think Derby and Combine set you up then why didn't you tell the-"

"-the Council?" Starscream interrupted bitterly. "Oh, come on Skyfire. Do you really think that dozy bunch of Overlords would take the word of an accident-prone, trigger-happy flyboy over that of two shining examples of 'the Academy's investment in the young mechs of today?'" He smiled sourly at Skyfire's expression. "Be honest."

Skyfire faltered and gestured for a moment or two, but nothing convincing came out under the scrutiny of those sceptical red optics. He _knew_ the Council, after all. He sighed and gave up, scooting over to slump against the wall next to the flier. They sat in silence for a moment or two, each lost in thought - although, truth be told, Starscream was more imagining what horrible, painful but above all poetically _just_ accidents may befall the two smug little gits than thinking.

Skyfire stirred and sat up slightly, looking down at the flier. "You never told me what happened."

Starscream shrugged. "The Council took their side and threw me out" he said harshly. "Nothing else to it."

"That wasn't what I meant" the scientist said gently, knowing the tone wasn't aimed at him and ignoring it. "What happened to make you go for them like that? They've annoyed you before..."

Starscream looked up at him in surprise. "I didn't tell...?"

Skyfire carried on looking at him patiently, evenly. His optics dimmed a little. "No... No, I - suppose I didn't..."

It had started innocently enough, apparently. Starscream had heard from a classmate that rumours had been circulating in the few days he'd been in the medbay - rumours that all lead back to the brothers. He wasn't too keen on telling Skyfire exactly what they were, and the scientist had an abrupt flashback to the lab, when a shaky flier had wavered over telling him about the seeker jibes - Skyfire had had a nasty feeling this could be either similar or much, much worse, so insisted, carefully and patiently, that his student tell him.

With an uncharacteristic hesitation Skyfire would have on another occasion found endearing, Starscream reluctantly told him, almost as if he was afraid of hurting or disillusioning his teacher.

Skyfire's optics grew wide and his audios burned. A long, slow anger began to simmer deep in his core as the list went on, whispers of secret research, weapons and betrayal came stumbling from the dark lips of the pupil he'd come to know and like, whispers that came fast and bitter as Starscream's anger rose again until he was almost shouting.

Skyfire gritted his teeth until they ground as Starscream slowed to a halt - he had almost begged Starscream to stop in his fevered recital, but had forced himself to listen if only to help shoulder the pain in his students' optics so he wouldn't be alone. Skyfire, unlike his mercurial student, was slow to anger, but when he was truly roused it was fierce and defensive. Starscream could storm into any argument like a tornado, but his temper normally blew out after the argument and he didn't hold grudges for long - unless he was repeatedly riled. With Skyfire, on the other hand, one almost never saw him really, truly angry. He could be annoyed, true - he was a teacher, not a saint - but it took a lot to push him into a fury. Now he was walking on the knife-edge of being absolutely incensed.

He kept enough of his self-control to at least try and be the objective partner, however. Skyfire wasn't one to rush in blindly, unlike his protégé, and managed to keep his head to ask "What did you do after that? Did you just throw yourself at them without a word?"

"No" the flier muttered. "I found them in the courtyard and I yelled at them, wanted to know why they were telling lies about me. They just smirked at me and I-" he grimaced wryly. "I lost my head and started yelling insults. I don't do well when I lose my temper."

Skyfire nodded encouragingly and he kept going. "Derby looked annoyed at that, like he'd expected something different - probably thought I'd run at them then." He smirked, just a little, at doing something that the two hadn't predicted. "Combine moved and Derby grabbed his arm - he must have wanted me to attack them first so they wouldn't get the blame." A small, mirthless snicker and Starscream fell silent. Skyfire frowned. "If they wanted you to go for them, what could they say that tipped you over?"

Starscream shivered, ever so slightly. Skyfire noticed and put a large, comforting hand on his wing. The flier sighed.

"They said...It - was sort of ...spooky" he admitted in a low voice. "Cultish. All this mumbo-jumbo about how some sort of balance had to be kept, that there always had to be conflict, light and dark fighting and I was only a means to an end... They used me, Skyfire!" he burst out, startling his teacher into losing his grip as the flier gestured violently at the sky. "All this, all the aggravation and the jibes and the sneering - it had nothing to do with me! I was a tool for them to use and set the Universe to rights! I was a counterweight!" He started to laugh, and Skyfire heard with horror the edge of hysteria high and shrill in his voice. "I'm just a statistic, a box to be ticked for the saviours of the Universe on their to-do list! That's it! _That's it!"_

Starscream's vocaliser abruptly cut out, his self-repair work cracking under the tensions of so much shouting and dissolving into the croaking, groaning whine of machinery under stress. The flier shrieked something unintelligible at the ceiling and collapsed back in a juddering heap against the wall, frustrated and exhausted. Skyfire didn't hesitate - with only a brief, silent death wish aimed at the brother mechs and the stuffy Council alike, he slid over and slipped his arm over the shaking wing and round Starscream's back, the other over his cockpit and held the shaking flier close. Starscream the flier couldn't stand anyone clinging to him or even crowding him, but Starscream the tired, upset emotional young mech needed someone there for him and held on to the white arms like a lifeline.

They stayed there in silence until Starscream had recovered his self control. Still in Skyfire's arms, he said _I can't stand anyone deciding my future for me. I **hate** it._

"I know" Skyfire murmured soothingly, the brief interlude putting his slow, hot fuse on the back burner to comfort his student. Silence reigned, until, with a slight, reflexive coughing noise like a jet engine starting, Starscream's vocaliser came back online. In a voice somewhat raspier than usual he said "Thank you."

"Any time," Skyfire smiled as he let the smaller flier go and stood up. "Now. How do you fancy finding some evidence to get you reinstated and the other two booted out on their smug blue spoilers?"

Starscream looked up at him wide-opticed. "You can do that?" he said, looking taken aback - and more than a little awed - at the look on his teacher's face as he loomed purposefully overhead like an avalanche about to descend from a pure white mountaintop.

"Oh yes" Skyfire said, with a slow, grim, deathly intent smile eerily reminiscent of the one spreading across his student's face.

"I can and will - with _great_ pleasure."

* * *

Yes! Now things are turning round - wahey! Time for some _fun_... 

Author's note - for fun to be had, reviews written there must be, or triumph to Dark Side will. I get miserable if no-one reviews. :D Enough Yoda! Go, review - and tell me what nasty punishments I can give to the two little blue gits. I've got some ideas of my own, but be inventive and make me either laugh or wince. I'm throwing it wide open - be inventive. And cruel. I'm a seekerfan too... he he he.

Starscream and Skyfire are © to Hasbro or somebody, Derby and Combine are © me, as is the punishment waiting for the evil, slag-raking sons of mothers - unless I have help, and then they share the credit. Um...can you tell I'm biased here? (The story's © me too, by the way. Well, I'm not gunna hand it over now, am I?!)


	8. Ripples in the Well

I'm probably updating too soon for people to review and me to answer, but that's the bonus of long holidays. Lots of time to think up plots for my Screampuff. Anyway, next chapter - little short again, but what the hey.

Skins: Don't worry about it ;) And as for the two gits getting what they deserve, well... Dum dum duuuum - can't answer that properly yet. Don't know for _definite_ yet. But getting there, and it will be _fun_... and the cultish mumbo-jumbo is a little closer to getting explained as well, so there we go. Mwahahahaaa...much thanks go to my Dad (again) for coming up with the most bizarre and strangely believable cultish mumbo-jumbo I've heard of in a long time. Worrying. Very, very worrying.

Soryu: (Slow, long, eeevil grin.) I like the way you think, hinny. I've got a few ideas in mind for the little ratty gits, don't you worry, and humiliation will probably feature somewhere prominent...heeheeheeee! (Starscream sticks his head in and catches the end of the end of the sentence. A vicious grin is very, very visible.) He likes the way you think too, by the way.

BTW, 'Total Burnout' was vaguely inspired a smidgen by 'Megatron gets a Playstation'. (Sorry, I can't remember who wrote it, but it's on somewhere) and a mix of other stuff in my bad-addled brains. Glad people liked! (And a new TF game would be appreciated, EA - with more Dcons and preferably G1. But then I'm biased.) How's this for a bestseller, though - a collection of fanfics published in honour of the possible new Tf movie! I read a rumour in a newspaper a while ago and I don't know if it's true, but it'd be fun anyway. I'd buy one, definitely...

Anyway, here we go again!

* * *

Ripples in the Well

Skyfire strode down the corridors of the Science Academy, his expression a fell look of grim intent declaiming a dire warning not to stand against him. The scientist seethed, barely noticing that Starscream had to take two steps for every one of his. He also missed the slightly apprehensive look on Starscream's face every time the flier glanced up at him - the silent, severe mech was so far removed from the Skyfire he knew Starscream didn't quite know what to make of it.

He had been relieved at first; relieved Skyfire had taken him seriously, but more importantly that he'd believed him and not tried to insinuate jealousy or spite like the older, politically-minded Council members who'd probably never even seen a Decepticon, let alone a seeker, before tarring him with the same brush. Skyfire's reaction had been a comfort - his shock and horror at the brothers' actions painful to see, but for the young flier it was a sight for sore optics compared to the sickening, patronising words of the Council or the harsh denunciations of the younger Councillors who brought the three in.

Still... Starscream sneaked another look at his mentor's face and couldn't quite repress a shiver down his back. This cold, angry Skyfire was something new and frightening he really didn't want to come up against in a dark alleyway - far too warped and different.

All of a sudden doubts started to strike him like a hailstorm. _Maybe he blames me for reacting so badly? _he wondered in a flash of icy dread. _He hasn't said a word since we left the Council Chambers - I let him down and he's angry, and that's why he's not talking to me..._

It's worth pointing out here that Starscream had been shaken quite badly by the abrupt, unsettling turn of events and wasn't thinking as clearly as he might have otherwise. He was an emotional young mech, and tended to jump to conclusions when he was under pressure - which often lead to him taking things the wrong way or interpreting situations wrongly. In fact, far from being disappointed and intentionally distant with his young friend, Skyfire was inwardly furious with himself, as well as the two mechs that started all this trouble in the first place.

_If I'd been keeping a closer watch on Derby and Combine, _he thought, _I could have stopped any of this happening. _

He couldn't have, of course, but being a sympathetic mech he couldn't help but blame himself for things that weren't his fault. If Ripplewing or Starscream could have heard this they would have told him as much - one with a despairing sigh and one with no little bewilderment but plenty of quiet gratitude - but Skyfire kept it to himself, not noticing the worried, anxious glances of the younger mech almost running alongside him.

_I failed him. It's like the null ray all over again..._

He froze. Starscream paused in mid stride, turning to look up at his companion with the startled, anxious look that had been hovering across his face for most of the walk so far.

_What's wrong now? Is he going to yell at me...? _Starscream wondered fearfully, inwardly bracing himself. For an imagined reproof that would never come - Skyfire stood stock-still, an expression of dawning horror spreading across his face as he put two and two together to finally make four.

_The null ray. _Starscream had told him the two had spread rumours about making weapons...and they sat near enough to Starscream in the lab to see what he'd been doing to make the thing.

"_...an accident-prone, trigger-happy flyboy or two shining examples of the Academy's investment in the young mechs of today..."_ His optics narrowed. Above suspicion. Of course.

_"It - was sort of ...spooky. Cultish." _

"_I'm just a statistic...for the saviours of the Universe on their to-do list! That's it! **That's it!**" _

His optics widened and he gasped in utter shock, his anger suddenly turning to ice down his back. Starscream jumped unnoticed at the sound and tried not to back away.

_The null ray was no accident - Primus, I'm so stupid! I knew there was something wrong and so did Starscream - so why didn't I **say** anything?! And if they're involved in all this...those two can't be too experienced with their usual tactics, they've got it wrong. Still... This is bigger than me. Bigger than the both of us. _

He glanced down at Starscream and was startled by the wary look in his red optics - almost as if he was expecting a blow. Skyfire decided to get right to the point - there was no time to waste, especially if those two little fools had gotten themselves in with whom he thought they had...

"Starscream" he said and stopped, surprised and hurt, as the flier flinched and looked away. Before he could say anything the young mech burst out "I know; I was stupid, I did the wrong thing, I just...I lost my head..." Starscream looked up at Skyfire with optics that were almost pleading. "If you're going to yell at me, do it. I don't blame you." But the desperation and fear in his face told the truth.

"Starscream, why in the world would I want to yell at you?" Skyfire asked, completely bewildered. "You were angry, they goaded you into it deliberately - I wouldn't recommend doing it again, but I won't cut you off because of that."

Starscream looked up at him, surprised and relieved, and immediately felt like a complete idiot for overreacting. His optics dimmed, embarrassed, and he started to stammer out a confused mishmash of apologies and explanations so jumbled they were almost unintelligible until Skyfire put out a hand to stop him.

"Don't worry, Starscream. I know what you mean, and I'm not going anywhere."

His face grew deadly serious. "But this situation with Derby and Combine just got a little too complicated for us to handle on our own."

"It's a _bigger_ situation now?" Starscream exclaimed in surprise. "Why? What else did they do?"

Skyfire turned and continued down the corridor - faster this time, virtually a run, so the flier was having to jet alongside to keep up.

"Starscream, have you...ever heard of the Converters?"

* * *

WoooOOOooo - intrigue! Read and review, people - read and review... 

Dum dum dum! I only own Ripplewing, Derby and Combine and the mysterious Converters, whoever **they** are. I can't afford anyone else, so Starscream and Skyfire belong to Hasbro.

Toodles til next time!


	9. Ethos warrior

Right. The Plot Bunnies From Under The Bed (not Dreadmoon this time...) got me again last night, so I was spurred into action to finish this chapter this morning. As ever, much thanks to Prof. Wayzegoose for telling me the science of Dynamic Equilibrium.

Cyblade Silver: Cheers muchly! Glad you like ;)

Skins Thunderbomb: Here it is - the scoop on the...waitaminute. Plushie Starscream?! Fuzzy, cuddly Screamery goodness?! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! (Glomps Starscream)

Starscream: Gak! Get off me, you crazy femme!

He loves me really.

Starscream: No I slagging well don't...

Careful or you'll slip out of character.

Naphtali Phoenix: (Beams hugely) Glad you like. I haven't seen too many, either, but one I've found and I like is 'Little Red Riding Hood' - it's either here or on Lexicon - and it's really cute and sad. (PS, if anyone's ever found any good Starscream/Skyfire slash, I'd love to know. There's hardly any around...thanks. ) The prejudice is a nice little spur for the fic and will feature pivotally later too, if I get that far...and I'm relieved the nickname works. I wasn't sure if it was too sickly for the Screampuff...

Soryu: Speaking of sudden turns, wait till you get to the end of this one. I was bitten by the plot bunnies AGAIN, so I have a new lease of life and a new... ah... _thing_ to add to the mix. Remember who you asked me about before?...He'll be back sometime soon. And the two are earning, don't worry. I've been keeping score...(evil grin.)

Jess: Me too. Love that noisy seeker. ;) Sorry, but the other two won't be making an appearance - unless I can work in a cameo somehow/where... But there's Starscream! Lots and lots of Starscream! (Of course...)

Okay, I'll stop rambling. Here we go again...

* * *

Ethos warrior

"I don't understand any of this, Skyfire!"

The scientist looked up at the complaint. "Give me a moment to explain, then."

"You said that on the way up here!" the flier persisted. "I don't see what some crazy bunch of loonydrones has to do with Derby and Combine, or why we have to hush up as soon as we run into anyone in a corridor..."

"Mostly because you're not supposed to be _in_ the Academy, let alone up in the Towers," Skyfire interrupted mildly, flashing a look at Starscream as he rummaged through a box of parts. "But also because the Converters... Well..." He hesitated as Starscream leant forward expectantly. "They're... not an easy 'crazy bunch of loonydrones' to talk about. Not without sparking a major debate, anyway..."

"But _why?_" the flier persevered stubbornly. "Are they another cult? There're enough around already - what's the big fuss about another one turning up?"

Skyfire sighed and sat down. This would have to be handled carefully. "They aren't some fashionable new cult, Starscream. The Converters have been at work long before every other sect or cult on Cybertron ever existed."

Starscream's optics shone wide and fascinated. He pulled up a stool on the opposite side of the table and settled in to listen, his expectant expression so like that of a child waiting for a story that any other time Skyfire would have laughed.

He wasn't laughing as he told this story.

"Converters and their beliefs have existed ever since transformers discovered the most basic elements that make up the Universe as we understand it. At its core, their philosophy is that the Universe itself is a computer programme, with each galaxy as a subroutine and star systems as sub-sub routines, so as such everything is made up of digital data - that every particle of every substance is composed of either ones or zeros, positive or negative - opposites, like any other programme you could think of."

Skyfire watched Starscream's face to make sure he understood. The idea that the Universe could be a programme was one of the main ongoing religious debates - such as they were, transformers not being overtly religious as a species - and usually caused controversy whenever it was mentioned. The flier caught the faint hint and nodded, motioning for Skyfire to carry on.

"This idea isn't exclusive to the Converters, of course, but it forms an integral part of their beliefs..." Unthinkingly Skyfire had slipped into 'lecturer' mode, keeping optic contact until he started to explain something and his hands started waving, his expression thoughtful and preoccupied. Starscream was sharply reminded of one of his lessons. He smiled fondly to himself and listened as Skyfire kept going.

"Some extend the opposites part of the theory and maintain that particles flash between existence and nonexistence a billion, billion times per fraction of a second - one or zero, positive or negative, existence or oblivion...that the Universe jumps between states constantly and it is the change itself that makes the Universe itself exist. It is the change, the conflict between the two states, that keeps the Universe going - we call it Dynamic Equilibrium. If there were ever to be an imbalance - all one state of pure good or pure evil, to use the two extremes - the balance would be lost and the Universe programme would crash. Total stagnation, the dead centre of the scales, is impossible."

Starscream was sitting very, very still, an unreadable expression on his face. With an obvious effort he kept his voice level as he ground out, "I think I can see where this may be going." Skyfire gave him a worried look, but the flier made a quick, impatient motion with one hand, scowling silently at the tabletop, and the scientist continued.

"The Converters take this to an extreme. They believe it is their duty to preserve the balance, at all costs..." Skyfire hesitated. What he could add to this was no more than underground rumour - hearsay, he was sure - but then up until now he'd believed Starscream's null ray to be an accident. Who could tell? He silently sent down a prayer that he was doing the right thing...

Starscream looked up as Skyfire unconsciously leant forward over the table as if someone could be listening. "There have been rumours," he said quietly, "that Converters have had sleeper agents in both factions of the civil wars for millennia, and they see keeping the War going as necessary to keep the Programme, the Universe, running and balanced. The sleepers are entrenched into the factions and use any means to keep the leaders fighting-"

"That's _crazy!_" Starscream burst out, slamming his fists down on the table and making Skyfire jerk back in surprise. "Even if one side _does_ win, there'll never be total good or total evil - it's impossible! Even if it's only two neighbours arguing or taking a different view about the stupidest thing imaginable, you _can't_ have everyone in the Universe in total harmony, good or bad! You'd have to...aurgh, I don't know, turn everyone into drones doing and thinking the same things the same way, and then this precious balance would be thrown off and the Universe would explode!"

"I don't think that's quite what they had in mind, but it's a fair enough argument..." Skyfire said, grinning despite himself at the would-be philosopher. "The point is, it sounds like Derby and Combine have fallen in with the die-hard Converters and taken it to extremes. Their attitude and the things they've done are enough to get them thrown out of the Academy, and if they're so far gone they can't be trusted to stay out of trouble on their own and keep away from hotspots, they'll be put into a detention centre. If we can prove it..." he hesitated again, not sure if he should carry on, but Starscream had taken things capably in his stride so far - and Skyfire trusted him. "Starscream, I think that they might have done something to your null ray to goad you into fighting them."

Starscream's optics flashed so sharp and hot Skyfire had to look away. The flier clenched his fists, tightly; the scientist could hear the joints grind and squeal in his fingers, incoherent snarls bubbling from behind his clenched teeth. To his credit, Starscream had enough self-control to whirl round and slam his fists into the nearest wall and not any of the worktops covered in experiments. Skyfire watched him carefully, letting the flier take it out on the solid, reinforced wall but close enough to step in should he damage himself in his temper. The sensible, solid teacher was a little concerned, but underneath him Skyfire imagined the two mechs and cheered.

Not that he'd tell Starscream.

A few emotive punches and kicks later, the wall looked slightly more dented than reinforced and Starscream turned round, murder in his optics but in control of his emotions again. Skyfire opened his mouth...

"Feeling better, are we?"

Their heads snapped round as one, startled optics searching out the intruder and praying it wasn't someone that knew the young mech wasn't supposed to be there.

A dull, dingy green mech stood in the doorway, his expression so mildly neutral it even made his features looked bland. He strolled casually into the room as if he hadn't even noticed the sudden tension in the air, Starscream's optics boring into his back as the younger flier wondered uneasily where he'd seen the stranger before...

He headed for a workstation near the back of the room, but stopped next to Skyfire with an vague, absent-minded air. "Oh...where are my manners. Forgive me..." He held out a limp hand, fingers curling up affectedly. "My name is Missionary - I'm a scientist."

If he heard Starscream snort, he ignored it. Skyfire winced inwardly at his student and carefully took the slight, proffered hand, grasping it for a brief moment before letting go as the other did the same. "Skyfire. I'm a Professor here." He saw the other's optics slide to Starscream in an obvious, lazily questioning glance, and continued hurriedly as he saw the young flier bristle. "...And this is my...partner, St-Sprite."

Starscream shot him a look, but he didn't wait to decipher it. Skyfire picked up the box he'd been rummaging in before with as much calm dignity as he could and glanced at his student. "We'd better go, S-Sprite, or we'll be late." He turned back to Missionary. "It was nice to meet you, Missionary, but we have to be going."

"Of course, of course." the mech said, fluttering a droopy hand like a handkerchief. He leaned in towards Skyfire slightly and Starscream stiffened. "Good luck with the stammer, old boy" he said in a loud stage-whisper.

"Ah...thank you." Skyfire said, optics narrowing slightly. He hovered for a moment then turned to the door, Starscream following close behind with the odd disconcerted look back at Missionary, now busying himself over a tabletop.

_And if **he's** a scientist, I'm Nova Prime... _he thought, unable to shake the uneasy, nagging conviction that he _had _seen the mech _somewhere_ before...

Just as he was heading out of the door, he heard Missionary call out "It was good to meet you too at last, Starscream."

The door hissed shut.

* * *

Sorry if this was too sciency, but I had to explain it to Starscream if nothing else. I tried to make it as interesting and less dry as I could. As ever, please read and review. By the way, any annoying songs that Skywarp can drive starscream crazy with would be gratefully recieved for the next chapter of 'Windreaper'...

Starscream, Skyfire and Nova Prime (whoever s/he is...) are © to Hasbro, Marvel or whatever. Nova's from the comic, so s/he's Marvel's, I think. The Missionary and the story are © me, as are the Converters, Derby and Combine.


	10. Game

(ambles in.) 'lo people - me again. Yep, new chapter, and the plot is winding up to it's glorious conclu- Waitasec. I'm sounding like Galvatron...Argh! I knew watching all the 3&4 box set over three days would be bad! That explains the third person bit in my bio... Brr. Very strange. Wonder if Galvy had trouble with one of his wisdom teeth coming through? It'd explain a lot of the shouting, but it hurts too much to yell - expecially when it goes all puss-y and explodes in your mouth when you didn't know it was and-

Okay. Now I've suddessfully put everyone off their lunches and everything, depending on where in the world you are, (I'm ok - just had mine ') let's get on with the reviews...

Indigo-ink: Ooooh, a quote! (evil grin) Me liiike - but I can't see it happening to mine. Sadly. And late reviewer? I'm happy when people review at all! (beams) Especially with funny bits...Twins of Darkness! Hee! Hate to say it, but they're not twins - sorry. I meant to try and fit that into this chappie, but it didn't fit, so it'll have to wait. Such is life. Nice nickname, though...(sniggers.) Love 'Power Cut'! More! More now!

Soryu: Ah...the losing is all part of the finding, young grasshopper... -Brr. Brr-rrr-rrr - what the heck happened there?! Uh - sorry about that. It should all become a bitty clearer here - and yeah, the Converters' philosophy has a snowball's chance in hell of being accurate, but people believe some crazy things. Like me and the plot bugs - I'm half convinced _they're_ real now, after I wrote the beginning chunk of this bit in the dark! Still, it's a bit early to set up an altar for them, don't you think? And thanks muchly, as ever, for the reviews on everything else.

Skins Thunderbomb: okay, read them however you're happy with. 'Meetings' is nearly finished (famous last words - gulp) so you shouldn't get too confused, but 'Sins' can be read as a separate story. It's set a looooong way after this one. And no, I'm not Australian - I just upload before my lunch 'cos I'm off school at the moment. My great-uncle lies over there, though - does that make m a semi-demi-Aussie or something? That'd be fun. Someone seemed to think I sounded like an Aussie or a new Zealander for some reason once - I must drawl unenglishly or something. I'm a UK girl, actually ;)

Cyblade Silver: They will, they will - just not yet. Wait for it...the ball has started rolling Eee-heeheehee...

Alexandra Spar: Then all I shall say is - here y'go. And I will. Promise (evil-yet-oh-so-innocent grin.)

Prof. Wayzegoose: Yeah, yeah, stop trying to sound clever. It doesn't suit you. (And yes, folks, I do know him - and I've told him this many times before. 'S sort of a running gag - I wouldn't insult anyone else. Which is sort of a compliment, really - and yes, I'm expecting the obligatory sarky reply.)

Jess: Thanks muchly! (beams) Those bugs'd deserted me on this one for a while, but now ther're back with a vengeance. Stay tuned ;)

Pinkfuzzyone: Nah, the Prof talked at me and I turned it into a fic, tis all. Thanks muchly - and the difference is the seekers are the original three and the coneheads are the jumped-up pointy-headed ones they were replaced with when the new toys needed selling. (pants a little.) Er - sorry about that, but Starscream stuck with Thrust never sat well with me. The only difference is Coneheads have...well...pointy heads, really. Sorry it's so mundane...

All righty, on with the show!

* * *

Game

Starscream sat, as he had been sitting for hours, picking grimly through the scraps of his null ray with dogged frustration all over his face. The chances of him finding proof that Derby and Combine had sabotaged the thing were slim to none, and he knew it. The flier let out a sigh that ended up as a growl of irritation - Starscream had gone over the wreckage a hundred times before in the Med Bay and now a hundred times again, and it was impossible. There was simply nothing left to study, let alone any evidence of possible tampering.

Finally Starscream let out a strangled screech of pure, hopeless anger and swept the bits back into a container, a useless jumble of scrap metal, before lunging to his feet to pace the floor of Skyfire's quarters. He hadn't taken much interest in his surroundings when they had first entered - himself too rattled by the mech calling himself Missionary, whose face still haunted his memory banks - and Skyfire had been visibly on edge, no matter how hard he fought to keep calm and composed for his student's sake.

It was Skyfire's idea that Starscream stay hidden in the professor's quarters for the time being - he was officially barred from the Academy (though it was being kept quiet by the Council, as was customary when something big happened, and rumour had started to spread like wildfire over why. Neither pair knew, though Skyfire may have guessed if he hadn't been so preoccupied, but Derby and Combine hadn't made many friends that day.) Skyfire took the very real risk of serious trouble by hiding Starscream in the building at all, let alone in his private quarters, and the younger mech was grateful.

Now, though, with Skyfire gone to his classes after the most hurried council of war Starscream was ever to have, the walls were starting to close in on him. He paced, going over and over the schematics in his head and trying to see any way they could have created such a spectacular explosion, how they could have managed to pervert his creation without his knowing, _how_...

Starscream broke off the thought with a snarl of frustration. He whirled from the path he'd been taking, around and around the centre of the room in ever-tightening circles, and flung his arms wide to try and shove the walls away and break free, fight his way out into open sky.

But he couldn't. Still, the effort did make him feel a little better - he managed to calm down, however slightly, and stood quiet for a moment in the centre of the room.

Okay. He was calm. He was perfectly calm. And he would stay calm until he had worked this out, and then he would pound those two leeching, slag-sucking balls of Ikthiak snot until their own creators wouldn't recognise them. Again.

Starscream gave the room a radiant, beatific smile, and reactivated his optics before narrowing them in thought.

_So. There's no evidence to say they did it. I've gone over my null ray with every sensor I can think of and a few they haven't invented yet, and I still can't find any proof._

The ruby slits tilted to gaze consideringly at the ceiling.

_Then maybe I've been looking in all the wrong places..._

_o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-_

_Scrape._

_Thump._

_Thud._

_Persistent, snarling yet thankfully muffled curses that would have made a minibot wince._

With an irritated huff, Starscream folded his wings back and finally managed to yank himself through the window - a little too enthusiastically, if truth be told, so he ended up sprawling on the floor in an even worse humour than before. He picked himself up and dusted himself down, his grumbling quiet and half-hearted all the while, and threw a scalding crimson glance around the room.

"For a scientist Combine makes a great mathematician" he muttered, snidely hitching his wings as he inched between towering stacks of datapads covered in equations so complex it made his processor hurt to look at them. He cast around the room, trying to find somewhere to start searching in the stacks, when a set of figures on a nearby pad caught his attention. Frowning slightly and leaning on another heap, he hooked a corner of the pad and pulled it towards him. Unluckily for him Combine happened to be a little haphazard when piling things up, and with a whoosh and an audio-splitting rattle the entire pile dissolved and Starscream fell with a yelp to the floor.

Fortunately the students in the nearby quarters had lessons at the time so no-one heard the racket, but Starscream still had to re-stack the jumble of datapads he was sprawling in. Not that he cared - all he could see was the calculations, schematics and scribbled notes spilling across the datapad in his hand.

Everything he'd ever written down about the null ray.

Starscream stumbled out of the room, a cold-burning fury shaking him from head to foot. He'd read the datapad from end to end, and everything was there - everything he'd ever put down, from rough sketches of the outer plating to the most detailed inner workings of the ray's innards...it was all there. All his work. All of it stolen. Starscream's face contorted in anger as he tried to stay focussed - he knew from taking apart instruments in classes the brothers would have had to have another pad or two to work out their own calculations, to figure out how to deform his project...

Starscream gritted his teeth. _Calm now, clobber later_. _Think. Where could they hide the other data- oh. _He smacked a hand to his forehead and groaned at his own stupidity. _They're brothers, dummy! If one of them doesn't have it, the other will. And it wasn't in Combine's room, so let's just guess where it'll be, you stupid drone... _

A short while later, after Starscream discovered that Derby's door was locked - as per usual - so he couldn't get in, and that he'd left Combine's door wide open when he wobbled out earlier, the flier sat in a cramped clear space between towering piles of datapads and stewed - until he realised that there was a door connecting the brothers' rooms. Rather sheepishly, he opened it and stepped through.

He looked round at the spotless, tidy shelves of datapads, equipment and other little academic nick-nacks, and immediately thought- _Derby really needs a hobby. Or a personality transplant. _

The room was immaculate, intensely so, and thus it was with no small degree of suspicion that Starscream noticed one datapad sticking out on a shelf of it's pristinely-angled brethren. Still...A hint was a hint, even if it was just Derby leaving in a hurry and being less neurotic than normal in his tidy-spree - however unusual that may appear to be - so Starscream walked over and pulled the pad out. A single glance was all it took - complex calculations and speculation on how, exactly, the two could blow up the ray with maximum damage and minimum guilty evidence.

The young mech's fingers shook. Starscream clenched his fists, then heard a slight, ominous creak from the pad and put it back on the shelf before he snapped it. He took a final hurried glance at the pad, checking where it was on the shelf so he could find it again if he needed to, and caught sight of a tiny symbol on the edge. A circle, half white, half black, with a band of grey binding the two halves together.

Starscream's optics narrowed. He stared at the symbol, and fixed it firmly in his mind. He had a feeling he knew exactly what it represented - and if he was right, it would be yet another nail in the brothers' coffins.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"You did **_what?!"_**

Starscream stood solidly in front of Skyfire and lifted his chin. "I found out that Derby and-"

"That's not what I mean and you know it. Whatever possessed you to go wandering around in their quarters? Need I remind you that you're still barred from the Academy - and if you're caught it won't exactly help your case?" Skyfire frowned down at his student as the chin dropped and Starscream started to look more than a little uncomfortable. "Not only that, because you broke into their quarters to find whatever it is we can't use it ourselves - no matter how planet-shattering a revelation it may be. And did you even think about what would happen if you were caught?"

Silence.

"No, I suppose you didn't. You can't go flying blind, Starscream! And you can't break into people's quarters to get what you want. Understand?"

A muttered "yes."

"Good." Skyfire turned and sat in a nearby chair. "So what did you find?"

Starscream looked up at him in surprise. "Didn't you just say-"

"I'm your teacher Starscream" he said primly. "I'm supposed to teach you what's the right and wrong thing to do." A sly smile grew in his optics at the look on Starscream's face. "That doesn't mean you don't do it, as long as you know it's wrong." He leant forward, the innocent expression turning to one ready for serious business. "Now, lesson over - what did you find?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Out in the courtyard a group of students stood talking. One of them, a purple femme scrunching a writing case between her hands, said "I don't understand why he'd just go for them. I mean, they're not exactly polite and perky, but that's no reason to..."

"I heard he's a real seeker" a dark grey-gold mech interrupted, pushing forward. "I heard that he was planning to make a weapon and use it to-"

"To what?" the femme snapped, annoyed at being interrupted. "Take over the science lab? Enslave the energy dispenser, maybe?" A guilty giggle from the others and the mech looked abashed. "Don't be stupid. Starscream's got a temper but he's no seeker - it's not right that he got kicked out for no good reason."

"The Council must have had something on him to boot him out so suddenly" a quiet voice near the back murmured. "They just haven't told us."

"Oh, they had something" came a voice from a passing mech. "but not on Starscream."

The group turned as one to stare at the sullen-sounding voice. A greeny-grey mech stopped and stared back at the band of inquisitive optics, and utter silence reigned until the gold mech said "What do you mean, not on Starscream? Why'd they kick him out if it wasn't something he did?"

The dull mech looked back, almost appraisingly, then turned to face them and leant in. They all huddled unconsciously closer as he started to speak... "Yes, Starscream went for them, but the Council didn't tell anyone why, did they?"

"Well, no, but-" The gold mech got a purple elbow in his side and took the hint.

"That's because they didn't know." The mech's optics looked cautiously round as he continued. "You know that Starscream was in the Med Bay a few days? Because his project blew up?" A series of nods, and a few sniggers from those who hadn't heard, or didn't know the extent of the damage. Those who did glared at them, and they shut up.

"The thing was sabotaged-" Gasps echoed round the courtyard as a babble of exclamations and questions rose - and died abruptly as the green mech glared for silence. When it came he said, slowly and quietly, "-by Derby and Combine. That's why he went for them."

In the total, shocked silence, the calm before the storm of noise erupted, he said "Skyfire's looking into it. He's looking for proof, evidence they did it, but he can't find any. If anyone saw or..." But his words after that were drowned in the maelstrom.

The purple femme, one of Starscream's classmates, stood in horror as she remembered the events of a few days ago - before Starscream had returned with Skyfire - and frozen to the core.

The sullen mech slipped away unnoticed, well pleased with his work. Missionary smiled. The Programme had been served well.

* * *

Ta-daaa! Watch me multitask! Starscream the cat-burglar - oy. Read and review while I go and upload 'Sins' now, okay? Reviews make me happy, and a happy author writes lots. Well, before she goes off to Uni, anyway - I'll try and polish off 'Meetings' before next Monday (20th, I mean) and then it'll be every fic for himself. I don't know how much time, if any, I'll have spare for fic-writing apart from weekends, so make the most of me now. Ta-ra! 

Starscream and Skyfire are hasbro's. I think. They ain't mine, but the students, Derby, Combine and Missionary, along with the Converters, are. (looks back.) Woo. Pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. Well, for me anyway.


	11. Set

Dum _dum_ dada _da_ da, da dada _DA_ da, _da_ dada _DAAA_ da, _da_ dada DAAAAAA! Flight of the Valkyries, if you hadn't guessed. Penultimate chapter, guys and girls! (Do I have any guy readers? From the sounds of it, most of you are girls - I'm going on very little here so no offence.:D) Last but one - barring the epilogue or three I'l probably end up doing. I've got four days till I have to start working (sigh) so I'm going to go hell for leather and make the last bit(s) ones that those two mechs certainly won't forget... Mwahahahahah... (rubs hands together and cackles. In a very nice way, of course.)

Jess: Thanks! Geez, I love getting reviews...

Pinkfuzzyone: Thanks and thanks, and we have more of Missionary in this chapter. Enjoy...

Alirion: Yep. I thought up the window bit before I started the chapter - that was originally going to open it. ;) I thought Skyfire as a teacher'd be miffed, but pleased as a person - I like using little twists. Keeps it fun. And again, Missionary returns! Mwahahaha!

Skins Thunderbomb: Don't worry - I'll go into all that at some point, but the adventures'd probably be a fresh story if I do. I want to focus on the early stuff here, then take it further in another. I haven't really got it sorted out in my head properly yet, but give me time... ;) get better soon, m'kay?

Cyblade Silver: yet more thanks, and I can tell you now they won't like it. XD I'm eeeeevil...but then so are they, so I suppose it balances out. heh.

* * *

Set...

Hurried conversation was cut off sharply as a soft chime sounded at the door. Skyfire glanced at Starscream, who sighed resignedly before darting into the next room and out of sight. The scientist took a hurried look around the room as he got to his feet, ensuring there was no sign the jet had ever been there, and walked over to the door - he keyed in the short digit code and it hissed open.

To his relief - and surprise - a young femme from his class stood there, fidgeting with a writing case she didn't seem to realise she still held.

"Lander? Is something wrong?" he asked, looking down at the restless femme and trying not to sound impatient. He didn't have any time to waste - the longer they took to find some evidence on the two groundmechs the less chance they had of finding any. Skyfire had been as composed as he could for the past week, but with one thing and another his resolve was now starting to look just a little shaky.

"Uh..."

Lander didn't know where to start. She wasn't too happy about having to drop a bombshell on anyone, let alone a teacher, and the fact she felt so guilty about it really wasn't helping matters much. She paused for a split second to steady her nerve, as much as possible under the circumstances, and blurted out "Professor, Derby and Combine were messing around with Starscream's null ray before it blew up. I saw them go over, but I thought they were just being nosey and poking around so I didn't say anything and then Starscream got blown up and I forgot about it..."

Skyfire looked stunned as the femme rapidly wound down, staring at him with a faceplate full of guilt. Someone saw them with the null ray! He glanced quickly up and down the corridor and pulled her gently inside, Lander absently gazing around the room as he closed the door, and turned to face her.

"All right Lander, now this is crucial. Did you actually see them pick up or tamper with the null ray?"

The femme looked down and frowned deeply, going over the scene in her memory banks before lifting her chin, staring him straight in the optics and saying clearly "Yes. Combine turned it over and stood half in front of Derby, but I could see him from my bench - he did something to the base of the ray, the converter or something like it, then shut the hatch down and they sauntered off. They were only over there for a moment or so, but they definitely opened it up and did something. I'd swear to it."

A muffled but heartfelt _"Yes!" _came from the next room. Skyfire's optics flickered and Lander looked startled - her optics jumped wide and she stared at Skyfire as dawning comprehension spread across her face. As Skyfire braced himself and opened his mouth to say something, anything, the purple femme's head tilted and her optics narrowed consideringly.

"It's funny" she said carefully, looking Skyfire straight in the optic. "I could have sworn I just heard Starscream." She gazed at him steadily, and Skyfire's internals seemed to sink as he had a horrible mental image of just what he'd let the two of them in for...

"But it can't have been" she said cheerily. "Starscream's barred from the Academy, for a totally biased and unfair fight that wasn't his fault, so he can't be here."

Skyfire stared at her, trying not to let his jaw drop quite so visibly. "If he _was_ here, though" Lander continued, so determinedly oblivious to Skyfire's expression and the choked snorts of laughter from the adjoining room she should have won an Oscar, "I'd be able to tell him that the rest of the Academy's behind you- two," she hastily corrected with a gleam in her optics, "and we can't wait for him to give the pair of slaggers what they deserve. No offence, Professor."

Skyfire stared at the purple femme grinning maniacally up at him in shock. Once again he had the unpleasant sensation that the Universe had just pulled the rug out from under him - but this time, it seemed, he could land doing a handstand.

"If Starscream was here, I'm sure he'd thank you" he said carefully, noticing with a start of incredulity - and trying unsuccessfully to ignore - the black head peering past the doorframe and sky-blue hands gesturing wildly. To a human it would have looked rather like the jet was doing the Macarena.

Skyfire tried not to laugh - the unruly hands and the conspiratal grin on Lander's face added to his relief to make him giddy. He fought to keep a straight face as he continued. "Would you say this before the Council? Hold to it in front of a panel of investigators? They'll try to belittle anything you say, you realise..."

Lander shook her head, waving the words away with a snort. "Pff - what they did to Starscream wasn't fair. I'd stick to it if they set a Guardian on me."

"Thank you" Skyfire said, the relief and gratitude shining in his face like a beacon, his optics glowing a bright, sunny blue. Starscream stood hidden behind the doorframe and grinned like a Cheshire cat, rubies flashing like diamonds in the dark of his face - it was amazing how alike they looked at that moment, and no-one knew or noticed until years later the similitude of a smile.

For now, though, Lander left with assurances to say nothing. Skyfire waved her out with a wide grin she happily returned, shut the door after seeing her down the corridor and turned to see Starscream standing before him with an anticipatory smirk on his face.

"Well?" the flier said, staring hopefully into his teacher's face as Skyfire stood gazing back at him. "What do you think?"

The scientist arched his back and stretched, flexing his wings before answering gravely "I think, Starscream, that we are in business."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Missionary knelt on the cold steel floor, a hand on each side of the colour divide as he perched directly over the thin line between black and white, light and dark - his duty, as was every Combiner's: achieving Balance.

He stayed there, head bowed and optics lowered, until he was acknowledged by the one who had summoned him.

"Missionary."

He raised his head, optics going straight to the pale grey transformer before him. "Luminaire."

The mech had never been totally sure whether the Converter was a mech or a femme. His opinion seemed to change every time the light did - not that it was his place to wonder about an Auditor, one only lower in stature to the Watchers and part of the loose Council that governed Missionary's fellow Overseers. He had to serve the Programme by spreading the Balance to new members and preserving it in any slight way he could - Luminaire was responsible for watching over the Overseers themselves with (his? Her?) fellow Auditors. It was a credit to the Auditor that (she? He?) had achieved such Balance between the two that a fellow Converter couldn't tell which (he? She?) was.

Luminaire walked quietly past him, motioning slightly for him to rise and follow. They moved over to the window, standing silently for a time and watching Cybertron glitter in the sunlight.

"You have done well, Missionary" came the Auditor's soft voice. No matter what news he brought from his cell of the Converters, Missionary had never heard Luminaire speak loudly.

"Thank you Auditor" he said formally, bowing his head in an unconscious gesture of respect. Luminaire's thin lips turned up so slightly that any other mech would have missed it, but Missionary saw and was elated. He kept his composure however, and stood quiet and deferential until Luminaire spoke again.

"The seeker was an interesting choice. Your converts, however, do not truly understand the Balance and fail to keep it as impartially as they should. As they were a temporary measure, however, they have sufficed."

"The brothers were programmed with their own biases, Auditor - I was fortunate enough to turn them far enough to serve the Balance for a short time, but they would never have been true Converters. Their partiality saw to that." Missionary suddenly froze in horror and bit his lip at his audacity - the Auditor may think he was presuming to instruct another, and instructing anyone would set their minds and upset the Balance. But to do it to an Auditor, and especially to Luminaire...

He started to stammer an apology, but Luminaire raised a hand slightly and he fell silent.

"In conflict, the balance will shift both ways. I trust you have laid out the path for the others to find?" Missionary nodded, unable to speak. "Then you have done well. The seeker and your two young mechs have served their purpose - the conflict will continue and eventually resolve without you. Relocate yourself and your cell - it is time to move on."

Again the slight smile touched thin, pale lips, and Missionary bowed reverentially as he departed.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"You know what to do?" Skyfire asked anxiously as Starscream got ready to leave.

"Of course!" he replied, shooting a quick, flashing smile over his shoulder as he hunched half-in, half-out of the window. "There's not much to it, if you think about it...I'm surprised no-one's done it before."

"No-one's needed to" Skyfire muttered, hovering next to the silver jet like a mother hen. "The Council never banned anyone before."

Starscream stopped, scarlet optics locking on to his own blue ones and searching through them as if he was falling through Skyfire's spark. "I'm the only one to get kicked out?" he whispered disbelieving, his wings trembling ever so slightly as his optics went wide.

Skyfire kicked himself. He put an arm round Starscream's back and said, as comfortingly as he could, "It's not your fault. If this goes as it should-" _And it had better,_ he growled to himself, _or there'll be Hell to pay... "_- it'll be Derby and Combine in the record books."

Starscream stayed quiet for a while, not moving, making the most of the moment. After a minute or two he sighed and straightened, tactfully moving away from Skyfire without pushing him away. He looked up at his teacher and gave him a wry grin. "Well...if you can't be famous, be infamous, hm?" Skyfire groaned and nudged him gently to the window. "Get going now, and hopefully you won't be either for the wrong reasons."

"See you later" Starscream said quietly - it may have sounded like a statement but his optics begged the question. Skyfire smiled at him reassuringly and nodded. "See you later."

The flier grinned quickly and jumped, not bothering to transform as he arced upwards to the high, pale wall of the Academy. Touching down hurriedly, a swift glance to see if he'd been noticed, and he ran over to a small cupola sitting solidly in the centre of the broad walkway.

It was here that a returning expedition to a foreign planet had installed a large bell - a gift from the natives they had brought back and donated to the Academy. It was a myth from the donating people that if anyone had been wronged or dishonoured and justice had not been done, they could go to the Bell and ring it for audience and the revealing of the truth by the Gods themselves - the students joked that the Council would have to stand in for the Gods since they were too busy with their own people to listen to transformers. After a rare prank or two in the Bell's early days, by a few students disgruntled with their exam results or by life in general at the Academy, the Council had ordered that the clapper have a muffle wrapped round it to prevent any more "foolish stunts."

It took Starscream two minutes with a blowtorch to get rid of it.

The flier picked up the hammer, lifting it from the hooks on the pristine cupola wall, and hefted it thoughtfully in his hands.

He shrugged, and swung the great hammer with a shriek.

Skyfire, head and shoulders out of the window after watching Starscream drop away, listened to the pealing of the Bell as it commanded the Academy to hear it and listen to it's cry of tolling injustice rolling through the air.

Skyfire watched heads turning across the Academy grounds - in the classrooms, on the wall, in the Towers; voices raised in exclamation and surprise from the students to the staff, and only Lander listened and understood in an instant.

Skyfire heard the Bell, and smiled.

* * *

Ye-es! Hooray! 

The bells, the bells - do me a favour guys, and play something really inspiring that makes your heart thump a bit faster when you read that last bit. That's how I felt when I read this over again. Just me being sappy, but still...

oooh! The 'boots is HAPPY! She finally got back onto angelfire and updated her-my, I mean - website! Yes! The shoebox is up and running! Wahay! As ever, read, review and gloat at the unsuspecting chumps. YEEEEEES!

Now I've just got to figure out what to do with them. I've got a nice little plot-twisty ending, if I can swing it...Mwahahaha! (That's the third time now - I'm worried.)

Starscream and Skyfire are © Hasbro or someone like them. The story, however - along with Missionary, Luminaire, Lander, Derby, Combine and various students - is © me. And right at the minute, I'm really, really proud of it. Go Screamer!


	12. And match

I am author - hear me roar! Bleargh... never mind roaring, last night I thought my eyeballs were going to explode. 'S what I get for being obsessed with a fic. Anyway, THIS IS NOT THE END! BWA! I'm planning on at least two epilogues that might stretch to three, depending on how it goes (after all, thirteen's unlucky and we can't have that...heeheeheee. ;D ) So you're stuck with me for a bit longer. Actually, now the main story bit's all sewn up I could do a few planet-exploringones...brr. Don't get carried away, 'boots... Still, that's a future thingy I may do if i can come up with anything - they'll be here instead of in a separate story. i'm too attatched to this one now. Speaking of which, let's gt on with it!

Alirion: Thanks - the Bell sort of jumped into my brain from nowhere, so that's probably why, but it just seemed such a_ good_ way to end the chapter... I had a mental image of Screamer hanging from a bellrope, so don't ask where the hammer came from. I think he wanted something to take his frustrations out on ;) Glad it didn't sound too contrived and bluetacked in. By the way, when're you going to finish 'A plague of Mary-sues?'

Soryu: I've been chained to the keyboard - wanted to finish the main story bit this week while I had plenty of free time to do it in. And as for the brothers - the twist I had in mind didn't want to work, and something...strange happened part-way through. Poor derby - this is what happens when I work solidly on one fic. I actually feel really guilty...

Hate to tell you though, Missionary only picked Starscream because he was there and an easy target for people's prejudices of the old War. But there will be stuff on bonding and snuggling - I've got myself sucked into doing epilogues. Two at least. And then I'll maybe do a sporadic exploration-on-a-planet thing, but it will be one-offs and only now and again, not like the main story. So there you go! 0 : )

Indigo-ink: There's a hobbit in Notre-Dame?! What, was he an extra for the gargoyles?

I'm kidding! I'm kidding! I know who you mean, but can you really see Megatron in a dre- Oh. Um... actually I can - and Starscream dancing round with a tambourine and a purple skirt?! Agh! (for the record, I don't know whether I prefer the manic grin or a sweet, really serious sort of look - maybe biting his lip or with the tip of his tongue sticking out. Eeee!)

Oooo! Does this mean the next chapter of 'Power cut''s on the way? YE-ES!

Skins Thunderbomb: (Can't actually reply because I'm giggling too much.) Snick. So-rry! Heeheehee. Well try this one for size - I'm still getting the guilts for this. Brrr.

Jess: Thank you, thank you - um, I'm not sure about the justice thing. It's probably all they deserve, but I still feel bad. But yeah, go Screamer!

Cyblade Silver: Yep, I like bells. Except in that bit in 'Notre Dame' when Quasimodo's swinging around between them and they're all huge and clanging and scary... But thanks, and I'm glad you like.

And now that I've completely overworked whatever-it-is that happens to the two pests so you'll read it and wonder what I was on about, let's go and get it over with... I still don't like what I did. Guilt guilt guilt...

* * *

...and Match.

Starscream stood proud and defiant in the centre of the auditorium, feet wide and arms folded as he tilted his chin and tried to hide the tremors running through his frame.

A Council member clambered to his feet, optics barely even flicking in Starscream's general direction as he intoned "Starscream, you were barred from this Academy for fighting in the grounds and severely damaging two of your fellow students." If the old mech noticed the flash of angry scarlet optics he made no sign. "There were numerous witnesses to attest to this, and yet you barge back into the grounds, disturb the piece and potentially damage a very old and priceless Academy treasure. What do you have to say for yourself that you feel can mitigate this?"

Starscream unclenched his teeth with an effort and tried to keep his voice level.

"Your verdict was biased."

He heard the gasps and exclamations of outrage fluttering around the Council's balconies and allowed himself a private smirk. Skyfire, standing behind him - with most of the Academy in the stands with him, it seemed - groaned quietly and prayed his student would manage to keep his temper.

Before the old mech could recover himself enough to stop blustering and retort, Starscream ploughed over the top of his spluttering protests and carried on regardless. "Your verdict was biased, because you simply chose to blindly take the word of those two-" He whirled and pointed straight at Derby and Combine, who recoiled slightly from the blue finger but kept their composure and sneered back at him. "-instead of considering the fact I may have been provoked beyond all possible limits and actually had a _reason_ to fight them!"

Dropping his voice from the near-shriek to a hiss loaded with venom, he added "After all, I came here to become a scientist, not a thug. Or a seeker."

Utter silence. Starscream owned the floor, and he knew it - not even Derby or Combine made a sound. The silver jet turned on his heel and stared up at the Council, optics flashing a challenge as the fading sunlight sparkled off his plating. Eventually the Council's spokesmech gathered his dignity together and stood, saying stiffly "You have evidence to back these claims?"

"I do!"

"And a sponsor to support them?"

Starscream turned again and gave a small, relieved smile as Skyfire stood and said clearly "I am his sponsor."

A flicker passed across the face of the councillor. "That is impossible."

"_What?!"_ Starscream yelped. _"Why?"_ Skyfire said nothing, but the look on his face said it all. A loud murmur of exclamations and dismay rose from the audience, those near to Skyfire offering quiet sympathy and shock.

"A sponsor cannot be a teacher or official close to the supplicant" the councillor reeled off. "The sponsor must know as little as possible of the grievance, in order to retain impartiality."

"Impartiality?!" Starscream yelled. "If you'd been impartial to start with-"

A voice cut sharply through the tumult, interrupting before the flier could say something he'd regret.

"I will be his sponsor."

Starscream stared and the noise dipped in a sudden hush, before excited chatter filled the room even louder than before. Skyfire gaped, the planet spinning crazily under his feet.

"_Ripplewing?"_ the councillor gasped. _"You _would sponsor him?"

"Yes, yes, that's what I said." she snapped, forging through the mass of bodies to jet up to the platform where Starscream stood goggling at her. "Do I qualify?"

"Ah..." The spokesmech dithered for a long moment and the audience held its metaphorical breath in the pause. Eventually he was forced to reluctantly say "Ah...yes. Yes, Ripplewing is Starscream's sponsor."

The grey mech nodded crisply and snapped a glance to Starscream, still completely thrown and gaping at her. "Oh, for... Close your mouth, flyboy." she said gruffly. "I knew something was up with that ray of yours when it blew, and I've got a feeling you know why. Now stop staring and get on with it! Learn to think on your feet instead of rushing into things!" Starscream's mouth shut with a click and he nodded. "Thank you."

"Thank me later if we pull this off" was the acidic reply. The silver mech grinned and turned to face the Council once more, squaring his shoulders as if preparing for battle.

In a way, he was.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The Council were in a state on the far side of shock and out the other side of disbelief. The flier was claiming that two of their students were practicing Converters, and had actively tried to kill him - there were half-stunned murmurs in the balconies that he was insane, resentful, possessed...and now he was calling up a witness to add to his delusions. And the terrifying thing, the part that unnerved the most Council members and their assurance that they had done the right thing barring the flier, the one thing that rocked the Academy as they had always known it under their feet, was the growing, sickly conviction...that he was right.

And if he was, then they had failed miserably in their duties as guardians of both the students and the Academy.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Starscream gave Lander a quick flash of a smile as she wobbled up onto the platform, knees and hands shaking ever-so-slightly as she stood facing the Council. The purple femme's voice trembled a little as she stated her name, but she recounted what she had seen steadily and clearly as her optics glowed bright in concentration. When she had finished, the Council cross-examined her as intensely as Skyfire had warned her, but her conviction never wavered and her gaze was locked on the face of the spokesmech as she answered their questions with all the frankness and emphasis she could muster under the gaze of so many people.

Starscream, told to stand behind her so he couldn't "influence her answers", flashed a quick glance over to Derby and Combine standing near the front of the crush of people. He had to hold in a grin when he noticed the wide, empty ring surrounding them despite the thick crowd in the sweeping auditorium - it seemed that Lander had been right about their popularity. He couldn't quite resist flashing them a dazzling smile when they saw him watching, and the pair scowled ferociously at the cheery flier. Starscream gave them a tiny wave and watched them fume.

The red mech flicked his attention over to Skyfire as Combine started to foam at the mouth.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The scientist had never taken his optics from the slight silver figure ever since his outburst, and the terrible, nauseating feeling that had gripped him at the brief flash of panic in Starscream's face hadn't let him go. A part of him felt that, ridiculous as he half-heartedly thought it to be, if he kept his optics on Starscream and didn't look away, the flier would be fine. He met Starscream's shining red optics and, suddenly, was totally convinced that they'd both be fine, whatever happened.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Meeting the brilliant sapphires in Skyfire's face, Starscream couldn't hide the small, almost shy smile that crept unconsciously across his lips. His internals gave a strange lurch as their gazes met and Skyfire's optics sparkled at him across the room...

The young jet jumped and broke the contact as the Council spokesmech harrumphed and dismissed Lander from the platform. She let out an explosive sigh and trotted past Starscream to the edge of the stage, giving him a swift grin and a whispered "good luck!" as she vaulted down into the crowd. Starscream flashed his teeth in a fierce grin back before turning to face the Council one more time.

"Starscream" the mech intoned, "your witness states she saw the two mechs in question tamper with the, ah, 'null ray'-" the flier's optics narrowed as the apostrophes dropped around the name like tongs, to be held at a distance and examined "-but you have no proof that they caused the explosion or actively tried to damage-" He was abruptly silenced and the Council sat back in shock as the audience exploded in an uproar. Students and staff alike were yelling incredulously, gesturing and shouting their loud, passionate disapproval and furious challenges. Every transformer there was a scientist, but unlike the Council the audience knew precisely how slim the chances were of any physical interference in an experiment not resulting in failure at the very least - as students themselves the two mechs knew precisely what they were doing, and there was no way they or the Council could excuse themselves.

"I helped repair the kid! No way that was an accident!" yelled a certain Med Bay tech.

"They'd need to work it all out - search their quarters! There's your proof!" someone else shouted.

Starscream stood raised above the melee, elation surging through his circuits until he could shut off his optics and swear he was flying. He scanned the horde and found Skyfire again - the delight in the scientist's face shone out over the crowd and drew Starscream's brilliant gaze like a beacon. Ripplewing followed his gaze and saw the look - she gave a nod, and an uncharacteristic slow smile. It was always nice to have your suspicions confirmed.

Eventually the Council managed to calm the crowd - they settled down and waited, the expectation like a living organism lying heavy in the air. The spokesmech stepped up once more, looking much less pompous than he had done for some strange reason...

"We - ah - The Council has decided to allow Derby and Combine to take the platform and defend themselves against the allegations-" He motioned to the brothers to come forward to a dark murmur from the crowd. They looked at each other - Derby with a tight-lipped look of deep, icy fury, and Combine's face a skewed, almost demented look of boiling panic. They stepped forward together, Derby striding ahead with his nose in the air - the transformers he approached on the way to the stage drawing back as they came near, expressions ranging from disgust to horror and disbelief as the two brothers passed. They clambered onto the stage, Combine nearly falling as he staggered to his feet but Derby ignored him, staring frostily around the waiting audience like an emperor above his lowly subjects who have dared to rebel against him. Combine saw all optics turn his way and shivered.

Silence.

"Well?" the councillor prompted. "Can you defend yourselves against these charges?"

Combine looked at his brother with an expression close to despair on his face. He was a genius with formulas and equations, which was the only reason he got into the Academy at all with his scientist brother, but when a new, unfamiliar situation came up that he couldn't either compute or bull his way through, he froze up. When he didn't have any previous experience to draw from or his brother to rely on, Combine was a sitting duck - a frightened drone with no idea how to save himself.

Derby, however, was too angry to notice his brother's pleading gaze. He stared round the auditorium, his head held high and ice-blue optics blazing with condescending fury. When the old mech prompted them, he drew himself up and, in the most regal tone he could muster snapped "Of course I could, but since it's true and you're all too blinkered to see that we were doing you a favour, then there isn't much point in wasting my time."

A collective gasp from Council and audience alike, but Combine looked at his brother with relief shining in his optics like a mad beacon. Derby always knew what to do.

"That," his finger shot out and pointed viciously at Starscream, whose optics narrowed and looked like he was trying not to snap back, "is a _seeker_. And you let him in! Here! What he learns here today will kill us tomorrow, _and none of you could see it!" _

Derby whirled and saw a familiar face in the horrified crowd. "Skyfire was holding his hand the whole time, extra lessons and special treatment, making the Decepticon feel welcome so he could say his precious ethics and his hands were clean. Well, how clean will your spark be when he kills someone, _Professor?_ What will happen when the things you taught him are used to destroy cities and murder innocent people? We stopped that! We almost managed to get rid of him, but you want him back. You _fools!_ We saved you! We protected you, and now you bring back the poison!"

Derby was ranting violently now, his optics burning feverishly and his composure vanished as he spilled out the truths of their crusade. Starscream was staring, his face an essay in shock and disgust - and as he listened to the groundbot growing ever more fanatic and saw the strange, relieved expression on Combine's face, the more disturbed and afraid he became.

The audience seemed to recover slightly and began murmuring between themselves, the sound reverberating around the chamber like a horde of angry metallic bees. Derby noticed through the haze of anger and despair - why couldn't they understand? _Why_ were they so blind to a cancer he could see as clearly as he could see them? He snarled, the last shreds of his ruined mask of urbane superiority ripped away to reveal the infection seething beneath. His ranting became unintelligible, losing all hope of sense and any clarity he had left, dragging the young mech into a pit of madness and shadows he had been courting from the day he was sparked. Derby's mind fell in on itself, and he was blind to what everyone else could see as clearly as they saw him.

Derby went insane.

Combine yelped and started as Derby lunged for Starscream, the only thing he had left in his rotting mind was the seeker - the flier, the destroyer, the smirking shining angel of death he had to destroy, kill rip rend tear save the rest stop the evil spreading cut out the badness-

Starscream was caught completely off guard and fell backwards with all of Derby's weight on top of him, deaf to the screams and cries of both Council and watchers alike as the ice-cold optics burned into him and dark hands scraped and tore across his plating...

_"Starscream!"_

It was only when Skyfire's panicked voice whipcracked over the blurring tumult that Starscream snapped out of his millisecond of frozen shock, grabbing at Derby's hands - kicking and bucking as best he could under the dead weight but the mech was snarling and biting like a berserker. He snapped and tore at red plating and pinned a sky-blue hand under his weight, raking his fingers across sensitive wings and slashing at sensors, hacking at the plating, trying to dig out a fuel line. Starscream _howled_ and thrashed violently, damage warnings flashing sirens across his optics as he threw Derby back with an anguished cry.

The mech landed heavily but was up on his feet in an instant, snarling mindlessly as his optics flared with the same dark hate as a crazed, wounded animal. Starscream lurched to his feet, eying him warily and trying hard not to think about what could happen if he was pinned again...

"Dar...?"

The shaking quaver was Combine. He stood trembling, forgotten, still to the side of the stage and staring at Derby.For a brief, fleeting moment, something like recognition flickered in the feverish optics, a tremulous spark of sanity.

Combine took a step forward. "Dar, wh-"

The spark drowned in the swell of black insanity - Derby sprang back and away, darting a swift look at Starscream who was still trying to get his balance leaning on a nearby wall. The mad blue narrowed with rage and he dived forwards as Starscream was hurled back again with a yell-

-and suddenly Derby was spitting and kicking in an immovable mountain of white.

Starscream looked up in pure shock for the second time in as many minutes, staring at Skyfire as he held the writhing mech jerking and frothing in his arms. Their optics met, and the world stood still.

For the third time in half an hour.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Starscream sat and stared out across the cityscape, watching the last of the sun disappear into the horizon and the lights glint rippling over the spires. No-one could blame him for wanting somewhere quiet to sit and think, to sort through the events of the past hour or so in peace, and the view was certainly exceptional from where he was sitting.

They may have objected to him sitting on top of the cupola, but Starscream wasn't bothered. He'd thought that, since he'd already been blown up, kicked out and mauled by a crazymech, there wasn't much else the world could throw at him today.

(It may be worthwhile here to point out that the jet was, understandably, a little frazzled at the moment, and was sitting out there mainly to get his mind back intact from wherever it was floating at the minute.)

Skyfire stood and watched him from the wall for a moment before quietly going over. The last glimmers of sunlight played on the sharp angles of the silver form, softening the strong lines of his face and illuminating the thoughtful expression. The scientist leant on the cupola, and they remained in comfortable silence for a while watching the sun go down.

The first stars were starting to flicker experimentally in the sky before either of them spoke.

"I don't think I got the chance to thank you, did I?"

It wasn't really a question, despite the considering tone. Skyfire looked up at his newly reinstated pupil, slightly surprised.

"Whatever for?"

"Everything" Starscream shrugged, not taking his optics from the sky, "but at the minute I mean for grabbing Derby."

Skyfire huffed quietly and gave a wry smile. "You don't need to thank me for that - I thought he was going to-" He broke off and the silence returned, this time a little awkward and tremulous.

"To be honest" Starscream said, slowly and quietly "for a minute, so did I." Skyfire heard the slight hitch in his voice and looked up at him.

"I - never thought he was crazy. One of the techs said he must have been losing it, slowly, from the minute he was sparked - something his creator did wrong or didn't do, and it made him go-" Skyfire didn't need see him to know he shuddered. "And he didn't _know_ about it! It all made perfect sense to him, there was nothing wrong as far he knew, and they think Combine's going to go the same way - totally insane and _not knowing why!"_

The voice fell silent, and Skyfire hovered up to carefully perch on the rooftop next to Starscream. The jet glanced at him, a tinge of horror tainting his optics, and Skyfire knew he felt the same fear that had touched every other mech and femme in the Academy - the haunting dread of falling into insanity and not knowing it, not comprehending why the world didn't see what you saw and unable to understand _why_...

"I know... I know."

The scientist put an arm around his back and felt the flier trembling, ever so slightly all through his form. Starscream let out a sigh and leant against him, gazing back at the stars and quietly relieved that someone else understood - he said nothing, left it unspoken, but still felt that Skyfire heard.

_Thank you._

_Any time._

They stayed there as Starscream's shaking gradually slowed, then stopped completely; contentedly unnoticed on top of the wall, they watched the night draw softly in to cloak them with shadows and dapple them with stars.

* * *

I've now successfully turned Derby into Galvatron. Blugh. Still, it always leaves room for a comeback if he's been carted off to a loony bin. Actually, that gives me an ide- No. No, bad 'boots - I am NOT starting another fic when I'm halfway through three!

Hmm.

Ac-tua-lly... I could work that into...hmm.

Ignore me. Read and review while I go and work on the next bits. Byeee!

Starscream and Skyfire are © Hasbro. All other characters are © me, as is the story.


	13. epilogue What's the story, Morning Glor...

'Lo guys. I watched Transformers: The Movie yesterday for the first time in ages, and I'd forgotten how absolutely gorgeous the thing was. The animation was beautiful - the opening scene witht the solar flares and Unicron flashing past, anyone?- and the music... whew. Anyway, the 'boots gets all soppy and does a shameless time-skip to get what she wants. Yah!

Jess: Yep! You didn't think I'd leave my boy out in the cold, did you? (Well, even if I did Skyfire certainly wouldn't...) Poor Derby - he'd been going crazy from the day he was 'born', so I can't help but feel sorry for him and Combine both.

Skins Thunderbomb: Well if Skins likes that, she'll really like this (hopefully.) No huge plot development (no plot at all, really...) no loonies running round causing trouble, just the 'boots being a hopeless romantic with no sense of realism. Wahay! I've sort of jumped a few years here, but it's worth it, I think.

I say again, a few years've gone by here - Cybertronian years, like every other time unit mentioned in this ;) - so it's been a while since the last episode. Short, but much over-the-top poetic silliness and fluff. From me, I mean - they haven't suddenly turned rabidly 'sue-ish. By the way, for those who are interested, the song in 'A very long day' is the new one by Atomic Kitten. I dunno what it's called, though - I mentioned it already in the review bit but I somehow managed to spell it 'Atomic Ktiien.' Yeesh. Anyway, off you go...

* * *

Epilogue: What's the story, Morning Glory?

Skyfire paced back and forward across the floor of his classroom, occasionally checking his internal chronometer was working properly. The white jet's patience had deserted him this morning - the pale light of Cybertron's sun drowsily painted the room with early sunlight, and draped lazily over the pacing figure as he went over the scenarios in his head again for the hundredth time that morning alone.

_What can I say?...Maybe if I waited for him to say something first, that way I'd have an idea... What if it went badly - what can I do?..._

Skyfire sighed and shut off his optics. Whatever he thought, however he planned it, he'd find out sooner or later. Maybe it would be best if he stayed here and waited for-

He started, head snapping round as he heard a wild, shrieking whoop split the dawn like a very familiar thunderclap - scrambling over to the open window Skyfire leant out as far as he could go and stared as he saw a brilliant scarlet-and-silver rocket streaking across the courtyard and hurl itself up into the air. The dazzling streamer burst into the sunlight and blinded the pale Academy with brilliant flashes of silver and crimson - darting across the sky like a triumphant proclamation, a blazing herald of the sun in his glory. Skyfire stood awestruck at the window, a mortal humble before Apollo incarnate and gazing at the radiance borne in the sky. In that one moment, it seemed that he had never seen anything so beautiful.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Starscream hurtled out of the hall with a triumphant yell, diving up into the sky as soon as he reached the courtyard and throwing himself towards the open window above him. As he soared out of the shadow of the Tower the sunlight hit him - refocusing his optics through the glare, he saw a blinding white figure appear blazing like a beacon at the window. The light was so bright the figure shone - an overwhelming brilliance that made sunlight on snow seem tarnished and supernovas dim beside him. The cry died on his lips and he stared, unable to look away, as the figure pulled him in and he went gladly - a willing moth to the light.

-o-o-o-o-o-

The moment only lasted for a few, brief seconds, but they never forgot the dazzling brilliance of sunlight in the morning. Starscream slowed as he came up to the window, never taking his optics from Skyfire as the scientist gazed helplessly back at him, both forgetting what Starscream had come for. The datapad lay ignored in his hand, the breathless silence lasting a brief eternity before the sun shifted and the blazing sunlight drained away, allowing them to regain their senses - both dizzy and blinking the white dwarves from their vision. Skyfire realised he was staring first and pulled reluctant optics from silver plating, his hands trembling slightly and a little stunned at the wave of reaction the sunlight had triggered - scarlet and diamond shining out from his memory banks and setting his sensors shivering. Starscream stayed a second longer, gazing at Skyfire as if there was something new but hauntingly familiar about the face he had known now for years - some silent answer to the question he had uncovered in the daylight but still couldn't quite understand. They stayed there for only the shortest time, a fraction of a moment, but when the world stopped spinning and snapped back into place there was something different - something strange and otherworldly that neither of them completely recognised or understood.

But the moment passed, as all moments do to stay sweet and fleeting in memory, and Skyfire pulled back into the room to let the silver jet in through the window. Starscream's optics flickered confused for a moment, before remembering why he was there and diving in.

"Well?" Skyfire said anxiously, staring at the datapad in his student's hand.

Said student grinned like a Cheshire cat and held it out face up, the stark green letters casting a dull light over Skyfire's pale face as he read "Candidate Starscream, final examination... _passed - _at_ Alphan _level-! Starscream, this is wonderful!" he exclaimed. The flier couldn't hold still any longer and bounced into the air grinning and laughing like a lunatic. Skyfire held on to the datapad as if it held the Matrix itself and leapt into the air with him, laughing and yelling as Starscream did a mad, whirling jig before grabbing the flier's arms and swinging him around the room like a pair of deranged satellites.

By the time he was calm enough to stop spinning them wildly around the room, Skyfire's gyros were careering around so giddily he had to cling on to Starscream as they spun drunkenly in the air - not that the other was any better off. The younger mech was so disoriented he had to cling to Skyfire like a limpet and had no idea which direction was up anymore - not that it really mattered to a flier. As they rolled gently in the air, Starscream gazed at the upside-down floor and languidly reflected that for some reason he didn't mind the loss of his personal space - the flier had never been one for much close contact, but something about Skyfire made people trust him instantly. Starscream half-lay in his arms and felt totally, wonderfully safe.

_I could stay like this forever and not mind it. I love this._

Scarlet optics widened as he realised what he'd thought. He stayed perfectly still, internals jumping and his mind racing as he tried to work out just what he meant, what he could possibly...

...Oh.

_Oh..._

Starscream looked up at Skyfire, and started when he saw the scientist gazing back with the same half confused, half amazed expression Skyfire saw in his wide optics. As their optics met both mechs felt a spark, a brief, hot flare of warmth jump into life and flicker through their bodies - sensors suddenly alive to the slightest touch and hearing every beat of the other's fuel pump, every shift and sigh of movement they made was heard and felt by both.

_This is...strange..._

Starscream never took his optics from Skyfire's face, never broke the contact, but drew back slightly - Skyfire looked startled and a flare of hurt flashed behind his optics, but he reluctantly loosened his hold, dropping his hands little by little to let the flier go. Starscream felt a pang go through him - an aching sort of regret at the loss of the touch and the odd, wonderful warmth, but a half guilty surge of exhilaration at the scientist's reaction soared through him as he worked his arms free to wrap them tightly around Skyfire's neck and press in close. Skyfire nearly dislocated his neck staring at the flier - his optics wide and bright in shock and sudden jubilation as he now finally realised what had been fluttering at the back of his mind for years, growing in secret even from him until the one, perfect moment when they both understood. The scientist drew Starscream close and held him as if he would never let go, pure white enfolding scarlet and silver like the sky revolving with the sun in his arms.

_I love you._

They never quite worked out who said first, or if they said it out loud at all - but said it was, and suddenly the world seemed both very strange and perfectly familiar - everything and nothing changed all at once, leaving them totally disoriented and utterly in love.

And every day after that, both fliers cherished the morning.

* * *

Squeee! (melts into a sappy puddle.) As ever, read and review. I tried to make it believable, if a bit poetic and drippy - you tell me.

Starscream and Skyfire are both © Hasbro, I think. The story's © me.


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